Zhang shumin”s clay sculptures,usuallyless than 15 centimetres tall,appear simple.But,as a friend said:”they are like Pushkin“s poems.they contain too much to be simple.”
She also has been called simple=or na?ve.but she shrugs off such remarks or suggestions that she deserves a better job than her present position.
“I am satisfied when people appreciate my work”she said casually,sdjusting her hearing aid.behind her in her two-room apartment were two bookcases holding some of her most popular works .
Now working in the Beijing Folk Arts Company,Zhang is a member of the Beijing branch of the Chinese Artists Association.
Over the years,her works have been reproduced in various papers and periodicals. The mini-size.exaggerated shapes and caredully chosen colours together with the clever use of materials immediately identify them as Zhang`s
Female figures from traditional operas,literature,movies and tales make up a large percentage of Zhang`s works.she is particularly fond of depicting tragic characters.One of her most successful pieces is of QinXianglian,THE HEROINE OF A TRADITIONAL Beijing opera.Qin and her children were abandoned by her disloyal husband.Zhang`ssculpture shows the mother with the children nestling against her,forming a graceful S curve.”
“tiere is something inside me that automatically responds sympathetically to this kind of thing,”she said,.with a shy smile she added:”Ished tears at sad movies.”
Zhang also likes to do sculpture featuring minority nationalities.She is enthusiastic about their aesthetic judgment:”To me,these border people have real cultivation, The women start embroidery and weaving in their teens and become very sophisticated in colours and patterns. I think they have a real love for life.”
Unlike more traditional clay figures  Zhang`s have a strong modern look.Features are often reduced to a minimum,some sculptures have only eyes,some have no features.She explains:”Eyes are referred to as the window of the soul.However every part of a human body can be just as expressive .Details should be emphasized where they best reflect personal characteristics. The veil of an Arabian girl can`t be omitted-it tells much about her identity.”
Magic hands
Working mainly in clay,she uses a variety of materials for decoration.In her hands,aring makes the golden belt for the traditional Chinese robe and soft festhers form the skirts for the four swans of”The Swanlake,” a piece she created in her twenties.
The  47-yesr-old Zhang ,a native of Tianjingwho grew up in Beijing,is one of seven children of a primary schoolmaster and a housewife.
Her father died early.it was her brothers who gave her a love for art .She recalls how the boys drew their own picture-stories,using their imagination to picture”such thingsas American Indians.”Her eyes glistened behind her thick glasses as she spoke of her brothers.
One,Zhang Shouyi ,is now the chief art editor of the People`s Fine Arts Publishing House.
When Zhang Shumin was in primary school she was already able to paint pictures Enrolled by the middle school attached to the Institute oj Fine Arts,”Iwas excited by clay and fell totally in love with sculpture,”she said.
But despite excellent grades in her four years of extensive study,she found the heavy labour required in large sculpture beyond her.She has long suffered from bronchial ailments.She joined the porcelain department of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts.There,an after-class toy group gave her the first chance to work on small-size clay sculptures.Her skill developed and her style evolved.Later her works went on exhibition in East European countries.
She had to leave school in 1961,ONE YEAR EARLY,BECAUSE OF HER DECLINING HEALTH.
She had to depend on her brother,and this depressen der.Then,in the “cultural revolution”she was accused of being”too competent professionally but without political consiousness.”She could not find a job.In 1972 she landed in a community mirror factory where she stayed until 1981.
Zhang married lte,to an electrician.He is a capable and caring husband in spite of their differences in career and sometimes in thinking.After doing her share of the housework-a small load,she said-she does not have to worry about other chores.
For Zhang ,there is no fixed working schedule.”I liken my work to that of a poet because of the time I spend on pondering followed by fast action.”She believes in moods.Struck by an idea during the night,she will work on the clay until dawn.
Guilty mother
There is not much time to spend with her only son, now nine years old.”Iused to embroider his clothes and make him toys.But now Ifeel guilty sometimes for not being a good enough mother”she said ,softly stroking her son`s pet kitten.
Nevertheless she rejects the idea that her son is the focal point of her life.”My spiritual sustenance,”she said,”lies in the joy of accomplishing a piece of work.”
Many of her most loved works,once on display,never come back,they are sold.As a result she is reluctant to have exhibitions of her original pieces.
‘I do not enjoy duplicating,”she said “Ihave to go through the whole emotional procedure again,and it actually can`t be repeated.”
“I consider it an emotional procedure for it requires inspiration and excitement,and sometimes affection as well.”she noted.
　　《中国日报》文化海外版
　　1984年5月25日