簡介Introduction

‘Ming Chu’, literally means a pearl that glows in the dark. She is my beloved friend of whom I knew for almost 50 years. For nearly half a century, we gather, we part. Sometimes we feel so close to one another but at times, we feel so far apart.

After retiring from her commercial endeavors, she sought after a new life, travelling round the globe but was unable to find a place to settle with content. I once told her that the most suitable place for her is the “moon”. That cold and lonely planet suits best to her solitude, with no disturbances but peace and quietness. She refused to give up and carried her harvest sack wandering around the world searching for a paradise, her paradise, on earth. This constant searching helps her to gain profound insights and expand her vision and thoughts.

At a very young age, we were already confidants. She is a born artist with innate talents. Ming Chu is arrogant and unyielding. Elegant as a poet and yet like a prodigal child at times. You can never fathom her thoughts nor understand her next move, or maybe she herself does not know too. She leads a casual, open-minded life with stubborn persistence. We often disagree, our views are different, even incompatible, but our conflicts will always be resolved with our mutual understanding. She often said I am her mentor and that I have to live longer than her; otherwise she will feel extremely lonely.

Years ago, she fell in love with cello and pottery. I often watch her cello performance in concerts but gradually the sounds disappeared. The
reappearing were her pottery works. The first time I saw her works, I was amazed and awed. Her works are controversial and yet demonstrate her uninhibited personality, sloppy at times and yet delicate, displaying feelings of emotion, passion and indifference, unattainable and complexities of human nature. Her artistic works are by no means due to formal training but more of her innate talent.

Since young, Ming Chu’s indulgences have been nurtured and developed into a boundless infinite space for her creativity. Her strong will and her passion to pursue artistic truth, her willingness to give up things of the world, to explore the ends of the earth like a pilgrim, progressing and overcoming all hurdles and challenges to make her artistic work perfect for people to appreciate. This indomitable spirit and determination inspires me and I truly respect and admire her.

Besides pottery, she spends much of her time reading. She loves listening to music, playing the cello too. Doing yoga and swimming, walking her beloved dog, Kiana in the evening by the sea, listening to the rhythmic cadence of waves are also her favorite pastimes. A young independent Croatia, a country in Balkan Peninsula which has neither excessive high rise buildings nor posh shopping malls but fills with mixed Mediterranean European culture, is finally the settling place for Ming Chu since 1994. She enjoys local wines, olive oil and being surrounded by the beautiful ocean. How an enviable fairy-like life and yet she constantly complains that she is living “in an everlasting night”. I disagree. Even if life has its deficiencies, she is Ming Chu, an extraordinary person. I believe that, regardless of “time and space”, Ming Chu is definitely a superstar that glitters and shines brightly.