M5 The Storm Society

Manifesto (1932)

The Storm Society (Juelanshe) was a Chinese avant-garde art group founded in Shanghai in 1931 by the Europhile artist Pang Xunqin (1906–85) and the artist and writer Ni Yide (1901–70). Named to reflect their desire ‘to hit the rotten art of contemporary China with a powerful wave’, the group opposed traditionalists in both China and the West. Instead they supported a progressive art that embraced modernism as well as personal expression, sharing the revolutionary spirit of avant-garde European art and, in particular, the radical ideas promoted by Dadaism, Surrealism and the Fauves. The Storm Society’s original plan was to promote their concept of a Chinese modern art in a self-published art magazine; however, this proved too expensive, and instead their manifesto was first published in the less radical Art Journal (Yishu xunkan) to coincide with their first exhibition in the reception hall of the Chinese Art Students Society (Zhonghua xueyishe) in October 1932.

The Storm Society emerged at a time of brief stability in China, during the rule of the conservative nationalist government; although the group had left-wing sympathies, they were relatively free to promote their avant-garde agenda. However, the country’s political turmoil soon worsened, first with an attack on Shanghai by the Japanese in 1932 and then with the rise of the far left. By the time of the Storm Society’s final exhibition in 1935, the artists were being called upon to be more nationalistic and socially relevant; and when war broke out with Japan in 1937, the Storm Society’s individualistic avant-gardism could not be adapted for propaganda purposes and they came to be seen as unpatriotic. Although many of the group’s members continued to promote their radical modernist agenda, they could not survive the ascendance of communism in the 1940s.

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The air that surrounds us is too still, as mediocrity and vulgarity continue to envelop us. Countless morons are writhing around and countless shallow minds are crying out.

Where are the creative talents of the past? Where are the glories of our history? Impotence and sickness are what prevail throughout the entire artistic community today.

No longer can we remain content in such a compromised environment.

No longer can we allow it to breathe feebly until it dies.

Let us rise up! With our raging passion and iron intellect, we will create a world interwoven with colour, line and form!

We acknowledge that painting is by no means an imitation of nature, nor a rigid replication of the human body. With our entire being, we will represent, unconcealed, our bold and daring spirit. We believe that painting is by no means the slave of religion, nor a mere illustration of literature. We will freely, and cohesively, construct a world of pure shapes.

We detest all the old forms and colours, as well as all mediocre and rudimentary techniques. We will represent the spirit of a new era with new techniques.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, a new atmosphere has emerged in the European artistic community, comprised of the outcries of the Fauvists, the twists of the Cubists, the vehemence of the Dadaists and the cravings of the Surrealists …

It is time for a new atmosphere to emerge throughout the 20th century artistic community of China.

Let us rise up! With our raging passion and iron intellect, we will create a world interwoven with colour, line and form!