ZHANG Qing is one of China’s top curators, and yet he was startled when he was first described as one. The Western word “curator,” wasn’t always seen as something positive.

“In Chinese language, the word curator describes someone who designs or develops something. But due to the ‘cultural revolution’(1967-77), anyone involved with designing or developing something was seen as a bad egg,” he said with a chuckle.

Born in Suzhou in 1964, Zhang is mild and easy-going. But there is also some boldness and a will to push forward.

Zhang started to curate exhibitions in the early 1980s, but at the time, he was simply seen as a man who’s organizing some exhibitions — the word curator still had a negative connotation.

Zhang rose to the top when he “organized” Shanghai Biennale in 2000, a concept that was foreign to China.

“During that period, I felt like the nanny of the biennale, I was a curator and a coordinator at the same time,” Zhang said.

Working as the artistic director from 1999 to 2011, he lifted the Shanghai Biennale from a little-known exhibition to a household name on the international art stage.

Today, Zhang works at the National Art Museum and has a different way of looking at art.

Equipped with a doctor degree in art history, he was a member of China’s underground contemporary art scene in the early 1980s. Many of today’s big shots, he said, were once his fighting comrades.

“Although the material and conditions were so poor both for the artists and critics, there was a certain kind of spirit that can’t be re-produced. Everyone treated art like God.”

Zhang is now working on a project he describes as “national narration.”

When working at the National Art Museum in Beijing, he curated two daunting exhibitions under the theme of “Commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War” and “The 90th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China.”

Judging from these titles, the exhibitions appear heavy and overly political.

“But this is a re-discovery of the museum’s collection,” Zhang said. “Most important of all, it is the visual history of a nation.”

Today, Zhang will be in Suzhou on invitation of the Suzhou Art Museum to launch “Suzhou Documenta” which will open to the public this August.

Q: You were born in Suzhou and you must have a strong connection with this city, but what made you work for “Suzhou Documenta?”

A: When mentioning Suzhou, most of us immediately think about its gardens. To tell you a secret, I was raised in a very traditional literati building. Suzhou is a city with delicacy and intricacy, particularly known for its gardens. Currently I can’t tell you too many details about this documenta, but I am sure it will be a unique exhibition that will reflect the charisma of this city. The venues displaying the contemporary artworks are also interesting, varying from gardens, ancient buildings to modern art museums. Due to the limited exhibition space in Suzhou, I want to use as much available space as possible.

Q: Gardens are considered places for dreaming among Chinese literati. What do gardens mean to you?

A: The beauty of Suzhou, unlike other cities in China, is fragile, weak and grey. It is thoroughly different from the brilliant hues that can be found in Van Gogh’s canvas. Although it is a reclusive place, it gives an understanding of Chinese culture, history and even imagination. Everyone has a dream-like garden in the mind. In this documenta, one might find the “visible garden” and “invisible garden.” That’s all I can tell you for now.

Q: When you left Shanghai for Beijing, did you still work with Shanghai’s art community?

A: Although I am now working in Beijing, in my eyes, Shanghai will always be lovely. I am more in love with the culture and history of this city. All my book-shelves are filled with books related to Shanghai. I often go to the book store to buy various books related to Shanghai. To tell you the truth, I feel that I never left. The history of contemporary art in Shanghai is not very long and most of the artists are my friends. Even though I am in Beijing, I curated the exhibitions of Yu Hong and Zhang Enli at Shanghai Art Museum and I also curated a series of exhibitions for the West Bund Art Center.

Q: What’s your comment on the latest Shanghai Biennale?

A: Shanghai Biennale is becoming more international. But in my view, there should be a balance in not being “too international,” otherwise it will lose its own characteristics, and get too similar to thousands of biennales around the world. Believe it or not, Shanghai Biennale is like my own child. No matter where “he” is or how “he” is, I can’t help but miss “him.”

Q: You were the artistic director and curator for Shanghai Biennale for 12 years. It’s very different from curating a single themed exhibition. Why did you become so engaged in “national narration?”

A: I am a person who loves to study. The more I studied the history of the Chinese Communist Party, the more I was drawn to it. I had to clear up and rediscovery both the history of the Chinese Communist Party and China’s modern art, to find the relationship between the two. Of course, it demands the devotion, time and energy. It will be a series of exhibitions, varying from different periods. This will be a big challenge for the curator, as the curator will go to the museum’s warehouse to re-discover, re-survey and re-study the collection. Sometimes I might find some ignored style, artist and work that might render another angle to interpret a certain period of history.

Q: In your eyes, what ability should a curator have?

A: Not everyone can be a curator. In fact, a curator is actively writing art history. Art history is lagging behind. A curator should be guiding with intuition. He should be more sensitive than the artist and he needs to propose an exhibition theme to inspire the creativity and innovation of an artist. Of course, today a curator has to be knowledgeable, and he always has to learn about the world’s culture, history, geography and religion. Each exhibition is an opportunity to study. Encountering different artworks and artists around the world also makes the curator grow. What’s more, a curator also needs to manage a professional team including coordination, transportation, media promotion, equipment and lighting.

Q: Can you give me some examples of some difficulties a curator faces?

A: Ok. For example, you have to know what to do when customs detains an artwork for the exhibition. A good curator is akin to a “Monkey King” — nothing is impossible. The more exhibitions you curate, the more problems you face, and the more skills you acquire. Luckily, I take these things with humor.

Q: For you, what is the most treasured thing in life?

A: It is love. But love is like a shooting star — you might not even find it during the entire course of your life, or your next life.