The soft power of “cool”: Exhibiting Chinese art in Japan from the post-war period to the twenty-first century

Dr. NG Ni Na, CamelliaCamelliaDr. NG Ni Na2025-03-192025-03-192025In Ho, C. F. (Ed.). (2025). Exhibiting Chinese art in Asia: Histories, politics and practices (pp. 175-196). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.97890485587049048558700http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/10733Over the past half-century, Japan has gradually transformed its foreign policy. Hosting numerous exhibitions that promote its soft power and deal with its geopolitics, the country has demonstrated to China and the world its unique position regarding Chinese art. By exhibiting Chinese art using Japanese-designed exhibitions and collaborating with both the Communist and Kuomintang governments under the guise of cultural exchange, Japan has not only realized the "coexistence" of multicultural values through the transmission of its own culture and "acceptance" of Chinese culture but also facilitated mutual exchanges. These exchanges form the basis of rich and truly valuable "cultural exchanges," successfully recasting Japan's pre-war image as a militaristic country into a new image of Japan as a peaceful democracy.enThe soft power of “cool”: Exhibiting Chinese art in Japan from the post-war period to the twenty-first centuryBook Chapter