近百年来我们一直深陷在古与今、中与西的纠结之中，迄今仍未完全从这种纠结中间解脱出来，尚扬是极少数超越了这一历史困局的人，他的独立、自由、洒脱、大度，应当是我们这一代人的榜样。不仅如此，在时下观念与语言得与失的困惑中，他也表现了出奇的淡然与明智，成功地实践着观念与语言的互助，不因观念而遗忘语言，亦不因语言而忽略观念。尚扬始终走在时代的前列，他无意成为导师，但他的艺术却不断地为我们提供启示，尚扬告诉我们，古与今、中与西的纠结应当成为历史了，他也因此成为历史的一部分；他还告诉我们，观念与语言的所谓得失其实不是问题。我时常想，将尚扬的艺术放入世界任何一个博物馆都会毫不逊色，人们会通过尚扬认识今天的中国，认识今天的中国艺术，认识今天的中国艺术家。

杜大恺

2012.03.23

Preface

　　Over the past century, we have been mired in the tangle of ancient and modern, East and West, unable to fully extricate ourselves until today. Shang Yang is among the minor group that has gone beyond this historical predicament. His independence, freedom, optimism, and generosity has set a model for our generation. Moreover, facing the confusion of concepts and languages, gains and losses nowadays, he has also showed surprisingly indifference and wisdom, and successfully practiced the mutual aid of concepts and languages, neither forgetting languages due to concepts, nor ignoring concepts due to languages. Shang Yang has always walked in the forefront of the times. He didn't mean to become a mentor, but his art has continually provided us with inspirations. Shang Yang told us that the tangle should become an old story. He has thus become a part of the history. Beside, the pros and cons between concepts and languages is in fact not a problem. I often think that Shang Yang's art will be popular in any museum of the world. People will know the Chinese art, artists, and today’s China through Shang Yang.

Du Dakai

March. 23rd , 2012