Linear Procession: Drawing the Guan Di Ritual in Quanzhou

This drawing depicts my recollection and observation of the Guan Di procession in Quanzhou, a ritual event that takes place on the day of Guan Di’s birthday. On this occasion, the deity’s image is carried out of the temple and paraded through the city streets. As the procession moves forward, incense is offered, crowds gather, and everyday urban space is temporarily transformed into a sacred route. For local residents, the Guan Di procession is not only a religious ritual but also a collective experience deeply embedded in everyday life and memory.

In creating this large-scale cityscape, I employed a method of image collage. Rather than relying on a single viewpoint, the scene is constructed through the decomposition and recombination of multiple photographs taken from different angles. Rulers were used to regulate proportion and perspective, while repeated visual comparison guided the overall spatial structure, allowing subjective perception and factual reference to coexist within the drawing.

As the work progressed, the focus gradually shifted from architectural structure to the procession itself. The figures in ceremonial costumes and masks evoked memories of my childhood experiences of watching Guan Di processions in Quanzhou—crowded streets, heightened anticipation, and a sense of awe produced through looking upward at the moving figures. Although I was aware that these roles were performed by people, the moment the masks were worn still seemed to mark a transformation, as if a form of sacred presence had been activated.

Through the sustained act of drawing, the work moved beyond mere representation and became a form of ritualised looking. The street scene functions not only as a visual subject but as a mental and spiritual field that carries memory, belief, and embodied experience. In this sense, the Guan Di procession becomes a visual conduit linking personal memory with a continuing sense of the sacred.