Historical Context of the Reproduction of National Identity of the Peoples of Northern China in Contemporary Fine Arts

The relevance of this study stems from the need to identify mechanisms of visual representation of ethnic identity in multiethnic China, particularly through artistic interpretations of the cultures of the country’s northern peoples. Since the 1980s, Chinese oil painting has increasingly addressed the theme of national minorities, reflecting shifts in state cultural policy and capturing processes of self-representation within ethnic communities. We particularly focus on the way in which artistic images depict historical memory, ethnopolitical integration and the cultural heritage of China’s peripheral regions. This article analyzes the works of Jin Shangyi (Tajik Bride), Tuomusi (Sacred Khan Genghis Khan), Sha Jing (Red Cloud), and Li Zhehu (Arirang – The Apple-Pear Blossom), where visual motifs are connected to cultural memory, ethnic distinctiveness, and civic identity. The methodology combines historical and cultural analysis, approaches from ethnology and visual anthropology, case studies, and comparative examination of visual materials. The findings of the study indicate that the modes of representing ethnic cultures are closely linked to the artist’s own identity. Works by representatives of the dominant Han culture often reflect an externalized interpretation of ethnic subjects, while minority artists construct visual narratives from within their own cultural perspectives. Painting practices from the 1980s to 2000s show a shift away from ideologically driven ethnographic illustration toward expressions of cultural subjectivity. Artistic strategies under review are framed within a broader historical process of constructing a shared Chinese cultural identity amid transformations in ethnic policy and interethnic relations during the contemporary period. The article demonstrates that visual ethnography and reliance on empirical experience (such as fieldwork and direct observation) foster the creation of more accurate and authentic representations. These are shaped by diverse strategies of integrating ethnic symbols – from academic realism to ethnopoetic expression. The results are useful for further research on art as a mediator of intercultural dialogue and a tool for shaping symbolic space in multiethnic societies

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Biology · China · Geography · National identity · Political science · Politics · Reproduction · Sociology · The arts · Visual arts · Digital Media and Visual Art · Gender Studies · History · Law · Sustainable Urban and Rural Development · Ecology