Military Museum
We went to the Military Museum today, over in the West of Beijing, easily accessible by the underground which is handy. I don’t tend to visit these places, although I do love a big museum with large displays. Jake can be interested up to a point, and it can be revealing to see how different countries display their military might, past and present. I think so far Vietnam has been the country with the least concern for the sensibilities of visitors, local or foreign. This museum was really a propaganda forum [aren’t they all?] to illustrate the great achievements of China [Zhong Guo]. Some of the painted backdrops are intriguing and are intended to place the machines in a specific context – see images. Quite effective really. There are also quite a few silk banners, which reminded me of the military nature of Garry’s work at Pickled Art Factory. These banners seem to be rewards to certain battalions for great achievements, as far as I could tell.
