‘Silent Traveller’ in N.Z.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33092, 6 December 1972, Page 18

‘Silent Traveller’ in N.Z.

Dr Chiang Yee, a lecturer in Chinese literature and art at the Australian National University, Canberra, was in Christchurch on the final stage of a tour of New Zealand to gather material for a forthcoming book, “The Silent Traveller in New Zealand ”

Dr Chiang has already had 14 books in his “Silent Traveller” series published, each on a different part of the world, and he plans to write two more on Australia and New Zealand. As well as an extensive

text on his impressions of a country. Dr Chiang includes in his books paintings, in the Chinese style, of various aspects of the country. Much of the interest of his books lies in the use of the Chinese artistic technique to depict Western scenes.

“The Western artist is i trained to paint direct from nature, thus involving a large I amount of detail, whereas the (Chinese artist is trained to observe and memorise—to isee what most interests him, ito only remember the good things and not bother with the details,” Dr Chiang said. During his tour throughout ■ New Zealand in the last ! month. Dr Chiang has been sketching scenes.

Dr Chiang visited New

Zealand in 1967, also for a month, and he will use impressions and sketches from both trips for his new book. Dr Chiang has done much of his work on the subject of the Giant Panda. “It is black and white, and therefore very suited to Chinese art; and its only food is bamboo, which represents China very well,” Dr Chiang said. Dr Chiang left China in 1933. During the war he worked as a translator for the Ministry of Information in England. He later taught at London University and then Columbia University, before going to the Australian National University, where he received an honorary degree in literature.