The vast majority of Chinese viewers can identify some of the figures in Zhou Yulong's 1912 series, and even if a few cannot be positively identified, a good guess can be made using general historical categories, such as military leaders, previous ministers, Republican intellectuals, and revolutionaries. The name of the series, 1912, as well as the Western suits, long robes, military uniforms, formal hats, Manchu queues, and even Japanese kimonos worn by the figures, also provide us with strong evidence for our identifications. Doesn’t this fit with our impressions of those turbulent times, even though almost none of the viewers personally experienced this time? Even if we conceal the year, our identifications would not diverge too much. This ability can obviously be attributed to the series of visual signs forcibly constructed in textbooks, media images, television, and film. Charles Sanders Peirce defined signs as icons in a revolutionary narrative and symbols of that period in history.
1912
When Zhou shot this series, he did not add or construct anything new in the images; he simply uses familiar clothing, props, and makeup to "re-present" these representational images; what is different is that these figures are taken out of the narrative context of the film, textbook, or museum display. Therefore, the signs packed into these narratives are highlighted one by one, such that they can be directly examined. Viewers can see how the signs that were once used in these constructions are themselves constructed through dramatic lighting, symbolic adornments, and typical expressions and gestures. The artist has not broken or manipulated these icons; he has simply replicated, or even strengthened them, but this challenges viewers' understanding of these icons. The challenge to these signs inevitably points to doubt about the larger context that they participated in constructing. Furthermore, we can consistently and "accurately" find the "original" figures. To quote Yao Jui-Chung, it is because they are "the real demons… in the mind of every one of us. They are the 'Phantom of History' we have to confront and overcome."
Zhou Yulong's work has benefitted from his training as a professional photographer for luxury magazines. The resources and experiences he has accumulated in this process mean that he can always find the performers, costumes, and props that he needs for a given theme. The support of professional photography equipment and the mastery of the final photographic effect are rare among photographers working in other genres. This professional background also gives him the particularly important capacity, or even belief, that he should structure static images, especially portraits, to tell a story and convey an idea. Even though this basic method is often ignored today, it should be utilized by the vast majority of visual artists. The fundamental motivation behind his quiet accumulation of these wonderful series over the course of more than ten years is undoubtedly his interest in history. In several of his series, he uses images to re-examine the creation of historical myths for generations of Chinese people. The Red Army soldiers standing on the beach stand as a metaphor for the absurdity of history. The ambiguous atmosphere of Midday Sun covers a cruel social reality. In Five Guns, a series with a title that seems to mean nothing, Zhou draws lessons from the classic images of art history, secretly confirming the accuracy of the historical facts behind them. In God Bless the Superstars, these icons and symbolic moments in history seem illusory and evil amidst the roiling fires. In every series, the artist’s methods seem rather relaxed and humorous, but he stubbornly explores solemn, heavy themes, and in the end, these mysterious histories become a series of ghost stories.