有人说川美所在地是一片猎场，每到学生毕业展，打猎的季节便嚣然来到。许多画廊蜂拥而至，四处串门，从物色新人到搜罗陈货，弄得这里躁动不已。媒体推波助澜，展馆心急火燎，研究生为自己定下一年一百万的目标。其商品化程度之高，真是有如深圳大芬村。热闹倒是热闹，只是四川美院的学术追求不知去向。一段时间以来，除了卖掉一批又一批矫揉造作、大同小异的卡通图形之外，这里又培养了几个真正有分量的青年艺术家？所以今年艺术市场的低迷，也并非全是坏事儿，少了些卖东西的诱惑，多一点做作品的想法吧。
于是，我们看到了“八个中国的年青人”作品展。
很明显，他们和流行的川美样式有点不一样，不以卡通自诩，也不以嬉戏标榜。细心辨析，你可以发现这些年青人不约而同，有一种向本土意识回归的倾向。无论是针对社会问题，还是深入个人心理，无论是运用传统技艺，还是倾心于材料制作，他们感兴趣于中国文化的许多东西，有自己出发的基础，也就是立足于当下、在场的生存状况和精神反应，不去假设自己是什么70后、80后的东东，非要用某种图式加入集体队伍不可。
其实，不管什么后不后，中国人、中国艺术家身处的历史情境都是共同的。说这代人深刻，那代人肤浅，不过是批评与媒体相互勾结的权利话语。恰恰是在消费时代浅化人生的世风之中，历史更需要思想，更需要深刻的感觉、感受和感悟。我从不相信青年人就该肤浅、就该浅薄，也不相信中国的年青艺术家就会被时尚与时弊全部裹挟而去。当代文化的表层化倾向和中国艺术的产业化潮流，不是艺术的根据，而恰恰是艺术必须去针对的问题与揭示的对象。从八个年青人的创作中，我能看到这种问题意识和个人思考。很高兴读他们的作品，也很高兴我生活的黄桷坪有这样的青年艺术展。我希望这里仍然是中国当代艺术家的试验地和培养基地，而不是一个以艺术之名扼杀新生力量的卖场。

是为序。
2008年8月30日
四川美院桃花山侧

英文
It is said that the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts is like a hunting ground, whose hunting season starts along with the annual graduation exhibition, when numerous art galleries throng here and drop around, with the purpose of headhunting talents or collecting old stocks, causing endless restlessness in this place. The press would try to amplify the publicity, and exhibition halls could not be more anxious, and graduate students would set their goals as becoming a millionaire within a year, all of which lead to a commercialization level not eclipsed by that in Shenzhen’s Dafen Village. There is jollification all right, but where is the academic pursuit of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts? In these days, besides the sales of tons of pretentious cartoon pictures almost identical to each other with just minor differences, how many young graduates from this place can truly be regarded as an artist of importance? And therefore perhaps the gloomy artwork market this year is not entirely bad, for less temptation of selling stuff might result in more ideas of creating new works.
Thereupon we see this exhibition “Eight Young People of China”.
It is obvious that their styles are different from what is popular in the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, in other words, they do not praise themselves for cartoon drawing, or flaunt by larkishness. Through close differentiating and analyzing, you can find these young people happen to coincide on their tendency towards the local consciousness. In terms of aiming at social issues, probing into personal mentality, utilizing traditional techniques, or falling for material producing, they are interested in a lot of things in Chinese culture, and have their own foundation to start from, that is to say, they has gained their footing in the current, on-the-spot living state and spiritual response, without assuming they are post-70s or post-80s at all, or dying for joining some sort of collective group by certain patterns. 
As a matter of fact, the so-called post-Xs aside, the historical situations for Chinese and Chinese artists have a lot in common. Comment on the profundity of one generation and accusation on the superficiality of another is just to criticize the power discourse colluding with the media. It is under the public morals inclined to make life shallow in this age of consumption that our history is in greater need of thoughts, and profound sense, perception, and comprehension. I never believe young people are supposed to be shallow and superficial, neither do I believe all young Chinese artists will be taken over by fashion and social abuses. The superficializing tendency in the contemporary culture and the industrializing trend in Chinese art are the problem to be aimed at as well as the object to be revealed by art, rather than the basis of art. Among the works created by these eight young people, I can see such problem consciousness and individual thinking. It is nice to read their works, and I am glad there is such an exhibition of works from young artists in Huang Jue-ping, the place where I live. It is my hope that this place can still serve as the experiment site and base for cultivating Chinese contemporary artists, instead of an artwork flea market smothering emerging forces in the name of art.