I'm giving the culture back to China, yeah, in a new way.
叶明子说中国人自己都不知道自己需要什么，意思是她叶明子知道。
Yeah. And what do they need?
They have no idea, do they?
叶明子 关于中国文化也说不出个啥，片汤话了就。
China is a special place, where the culture is so deep... ..but, then, it's, like, reborn again.
叶明子 然后说中国是个空白的帆布，这意思就是由着她来。
What I feel is that... .."Wait a minute, this is a blank canvas." I travel around the world, and people say that you do feel like you have no freedom or not as much.
I say, "What are you talking about? This is a blank canvas "that allows you to paint anything."
然后 叶明子 带这个黑人到一个所谓的文化沙龙的地方去，见了一些人。
黑人就不客气的把叶明子和中国政府给黑了一遍。
I'm struck that China might have a blank canvas... ..but if it's her, with her privileged background, and the government deciding what gets created and who creates it... ..then who is this new Chinese art scene really going to be for?
叶明子 本人大约是没感觉的，她们这些人对这个国家都是没感觉的。
黑人到现在在西方社会也没什么地位，但是一旦面对中国，立马把自己当白人了。
--
The devastation of the Cultural Revolution is still felt today.
But younger people seem less burdened by it.
That's partly down to this man... .. Marshal Yi.
Once Chairman Mao had died in 1976, Marshal Yi - one of his high-ranking generals - organised a coup, and brought an end to the chaos in which 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation was almost wiped out.
Marshal Yi is now a hero of modern-day China.
And I've managed to track down his granddaughter.
But because it's part of my journey, so it's...
Look at that!
Look at your sandals!
[ 叶明子 把她和叶剑英的合影放在手机里随时准备给人看，呵呵 ]
How old are you here? I'm probably, like, six years old, five or six.
He was the one that gave China back to China.
Kind of important.
Do you feel that you're doing a similar thing, but in a different way for a different era?
I'm giving the culture back to China, yeah, in a new way.
One thing I really learned from him is not to be...
It's not about being number one, but it's... ..you know, doing something truly what the people need.
Yeah. And what do they need?
They have no idea, do they? SHE LAUGHS Well, I have no idea what I need, either, but I...
That's why I'm constantly studying what the market is missing, and what the culture...what the people are missing.
In her role as an art advisor for the government, Ye Mingzi is keen for the void left behind by the Cultural Revolution to not just be filled with Western-style consumerism.
She's currently busy founding new creative arts centres across the nation to reconnect China with its cultural identity.
China is a special place, where the culture is so deep... ..but, then, it's, like, reborn again.
I want to create a platform for all, kind of, different types of creative people.
What I feel is that... .."Wait a minute, this is a blank canvas." I travel around the world, and people say that you do feel like you have no freedom or not as much.
I say, "What are you talking about? This is a blank canvas "that allows you to paint anything."
Tonight, Ye Mingzi is taking me to a champagne event she's attending.
Thank you so much.
Hi!
Good to see you. Good to see you, great to see you!
I take it that you're at events like this on a regular basis?
Whenever they invite me. Yes.
I'm part of the family now. Exactly, yes.
Seeing Ye Mingzi work the room, I'm struck that China might have a blank canvas... ..but if it's her, with her privileged background, and the government deciding what gets created and who creates it... ..then who is this new Chinese art scene really going to be for?