When Dunhua Lu heard there was to be an exhibition of Rewi Alley photos and sculptures in the Cambridge Town Hall, he got on the first plane out of China to come to it.
The invitation from Alley’s foster son – Chinese painter Deng Bangzhen – and his wife Lu Bo, a sculptor, was all he needed to honour the New Zealand writer who is revered in China.
Dunhua Lu, general manager and chief engineer of PetroChina Chemical Cleaning Company, flew from Cambridge to New Zealand especially for the Rewi Alley photo exhibition in Cambridge Town Hall last month. His father knew Rewi Alley well. The exhibition showcased photographs and artifacts from the life of Rewi Alley, courtesy of his foster son and renowned artist, Deng Bangzhen and his wife artist Lu Bo, who created the exhibition’s statues. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Lu, who is general manager and chief engineer of PetroChina Chemical Cleaning Co, told members of the New Zealand China Friendship Society’s Hamilton branch at the exhibition’s opening that his father and Alley were great friends.
Attending the exhibition in Cambridge was an important way to acknowledge the relationship between New Zealand and China.
Waipa deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk with the New Zealand China Friendship Society national president Chris Lipscombe. Photo: Michael Jeans.
Earlier Waipā deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk opened the two-day exhibition which featured photos, paintings and sculptures chronicling Alley’s life in New Zealand and China.
Rewi Alley sculpture. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Bangzhen, his sister and two brothers were orphans when in 1951 they became part of the Alley family in Beijing. He and his wife have gone on to become significant contributors of Chinese culture and art in New Zealand.
They created sculptures to commemorate Alley in Christchurch – where the political activist was born in 1897 – and in Auckland’s Albert Park.
They travel regularly between China and New Zealand to participate in exhibitions and friendly exchanges.
Some of their work was on display in the Town Hall at the exhibition. Guests included members of the New Zealand China Friendship Society and its national president Chris Lipscombe, the New Zealand Rewi Alley Friendship memorial committee and staff from the Chinese embassy and consulate.
Stolwyk said it was an honour to have Bangzhen and Bo in Cambridge.
Opening of the Rewi Alley exhibition. Photo: Michael Jeans.
“I am very moved by the love I can clearly see that you have for Rewi Alley, a remarkable New Zealander who could see a need in China and played such a pivotal role.
“It is incredible that a man from the small town of Springfield in Canterbury played such a fundamental part at that time in China thousands of miles away from his hometown in New Zealand,” she said.
“The photographs on display here portray his work beautifully and I have learnt so much more about him.”
Alley played such an incredible role over his six decades in China to establish greater friendship, understanding and goodwill between the two countries, she said.
Rewi Alley was named after Rewi Manga Maniapoto, a Ngāti Maniapoto chief who led Kīngitanga forces during the New Zealand government invasion of Waikato during the New Zealand Wars.
For 60 years Alley dedicated himself to the cause of the Chinese Communist Party and weeks before his death in 1987 then Prime Minister David Lange eulogised about him. A copy of the speech was on display at the exhibition.
Copies of Bangzhen Deng’s book honouring his foster father were presented to exhibition attendees.
Chinese sculptor Lu Bo, right, and painter Deng Bangzhen, left, welcome Dunhua Lu to the exhibition. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
Chinese sculptor Lu Bo, left, and painter Deng Bangzhen have kept the legacy of Rewi Alley alive through their art and writings. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
