Been to "White Cliff Reborn in Fire" or "Vast White Cliff Spreading Miles"? As we approach Chinese New Year, take a look at some Chinese/Yorkshire Dales connections*. VisitBritain asked the Chinese public to suggest the Mandarin equivalents of some popular landmarks. They gave Malham several names including 'White Cliff with Water Crossed".
It was only when Chinese author and painter, Chiang Yee stayed at Parcevall Hall Gardens at Skyreholme that his impression of Yorkshire changed. Until then he thought all of Yorkshire was “an industrial county full of factory chimneys and smoked-blackened faces,” but seeing the Dales scenery changed all of that. Penning The Silent Traveller in the Yorkshire Dales in 1941, he described a landscape of purple mists, uninterrupted hills and radiant sunsets. Look up his illustrations - they are instantly recognisable as being in the Dales, yet in a very different style.
The fourth generation family-run Tennants Fine Art Auctioneers have an Asian Art Department and organise specialist sales three times a year. The next sale is in March with lots that include Chinese porcelain figurines, brush pots and a jardinière. Even if you’re not intending buying, Tennants is well worth a visit as there’s a gallery over two floors displaying highlights from the saleroom and a café.
* yes some are a bit tenuous!