Orthodox icons from China for sale. Carefully! Chinese icon! Russia is flooded with Chinese icons

In recent years, it has been increasingly heard in the church media, discussed at Forums, and becomes the subject of discussions at conferences. One of the aspects of this topic is the image of Christ, the Mother of God, gospel and, more broadly, biblical history in the context of Chinese culture. Christian missionaries (first of all - Nestorian, later - Catholic and Protestant) with logical inevitability faced the question of how to preach the gospel of Christ in a world rich in its own tradition and culture?

The history of attempts to resolve this issue has left us rich material, in particular in those artistic images that were created by Christian missionaries in China over several centuries, and have come down to us, carefully preserved by Chinese Christians. Here are some of these images.

To one degree or another, these images became an attempt to implement that missionary strategy, which Western Christendom later called “inculturation.” Its central idea was the confidence in the need and opportunity to convey to a person raised and brought up in the Chinese tradition of perceiving the world the Image of God, revealed in the Savior, the Mother of God and the saints.

It should be noted that the time in which the idea of ​​inculturation arose was very different from our time due to the limited possibilities of perceiving and transmitting an artistic image. If a person wanted to see this or that Image captured in an icon, he had to spend time and make a trip. And so - until the end of the 19th century! Books were not so accessible to a wide range of readers.

In general, the culture of a particular country and locality developed quite autonomously. In many ways, this contributed to the formation of unique styles, which, of course, developed and could influence one another, sometimes even becoming the foundation for the emergence of a new artistic style, but the very uniqueness of the styles was preserved. In the context of that era, missionaries feared that the Image of Christ, taught in an unusual manner, might be unperceived and unread.

This is how sacred Christian images appeared, made not only in the technique and manner of Chinese painting, but also depicting the Savior or the apostles as Chinese, which, of course, violates the principle of historical authenticity. Neither the Savior, nor the Mother of God, nor the apostles were Mongoloids. I think that modern Chinese are confused by the attempt to portray Christ in the image of a Chinese - behind this lies a rejection of historical truth, undertaken for the sake of artistic stylization.

And so, we are faced with a question: with all due respect to the established traditions of Christian fine art in China, to what extent does today's Orthodox icon, which will be venerated in the churches of China, need to repeat the principle of inculturation to the point of distorting the image of the God-man Christ?

Perhaps this is a question relevant to the discussion. I will allow here to express my own, subjective opinion on this matter. In China, foreigners these days are so unsurprising that even the mannequins in fashion stores are entirely European-style and have a European face. Moreover, in China it is almost impossible to find a children's doll with a Chinese face.

Different parts of today's world are so interconnected that the interpenetration of images puts all local cultures, including the heavily Westernized modern Chinese culture, in a completely special position. Frankly, the development of information technology has expanded the boundaries of local cultures, making anyone anywhere in the world much more receptive to what they did not know before. In this regard, I think that the very principle of inculturation can be preserved where its bearer is alive - first of all, this is language in the linguistic sense. We still speak different languages.

The language of artistic image in the world is becoming more and more universal. At times, the specificity of the technique, style, and use of traditional ornament are preserved - and it seems to me that the natural way to develop Christian fine art in the context of national cultures, including the culture of China, would be to refuse to distort the historical image of Christ while preserving the unique features national artistic style, which can be manifested in the material used, the style of artistic depiction, the selection of ornaments, or the use of hieroglyphs in the icon.

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Russia is flooded with Chinese icons

Do you want to buy a modern icon for yourself? or want to buy a modern icon as a gift?
Read this article and you may have other thoughts on this matter!
Shocking data published in the article “Fake icons in Moscow”, published in the newspaper “My District” dated October 10, 2013: on the front page there is a huge photograph depicting images of the Savior and images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, popular among Orthodox believers, with a large headline « MADE IN CHINA"!

The caption under the photo explains: modern icons that people buy in Moscow may turn out to be Chinese fakes!
In the text of the article, decorated with no less wild photographs, clearly illustrating what is happening in the workshops of Chinese entrepreneurs who have mastered thousands of copies of religious items for the Russian and other European markets, details of what is happening are revealed.
The author of the article, Andrey Moiseenko, informs readers that in China, the process of making icons, crosses and other items in demand by believers has been put on stream. It is natural that On the part of the Russian Orthodox Church, no one authorized these enterprises to carry out such activities, and therefore everything that they produce is not done according to Christian canons.
Andrey talks about what is happening from the words of an authoritative person (who will be mentioned below), who has visited several industries that are actively “riveting” fakes. Turns out, The Chinese do not disdain not only counterfeiting Russian Orthodox icons, but also actively work for customers from Greece, and therefore many of our tourists who willingly purchase modern Greek icons on pilgrimage trips, on which there is an inscription stating that they were made in Greece and even those that have some kind of certificate of conformity that guarantees protection against fakes and confirming authenticity, they may well turn out to be the same Chinese “assholes,” and Kirill Shumov, head of the icon production of the Symbolik company near Moscow, on whose behalf the story is told in the article, confirms our worst fears: indeed, already in China, fake icons receive immediately produced “certificates” and are provided with the inscriptions “made in Greece"!
The Chinese make icons, crosses, and other objects and send them, in addition to Russia, to Ukraine, Romania, and are developing Catholic countries, so even outside the Russian Federation, you can easily buy a dummy made by Master Liu near Harbin instead of the desired icon!
What should I say, the situation is terrifying, especially realizing how willingly and with what scope the Chinese direct their hard-working ardor towards any profitable businessman! And as it turns out, the moral side of the enterprise is absolutely not of concern to these manufacturers, because they only blindly fulfill orders for such “masterpieces,” openly admitting that they do not think about morality in any way.
As stated in the article, Father John, rector of the Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Poltevo, assures believers that there are no fake icons in church shops. I readily believe in this, because the Russian Orthodox Church has its own workshops, the products of which are distributed to icon shops operating in the Russian Orthodox Church system, but besides those responsible for the products sold, there are plenty of dubious places in the capital (and presumably beyond its borders) retail outlets!
So it turns out that when you want to buy an icon, buy a modern icon for yourself in a suspicious shop, on the market or on the Internet, they can easily sell you a Chinese fake, but at the same time distinguish it from a real icon, produced with all the necessary rituals and according to Christian canon, it will be almost impossible!
The article cites a staggering statistic: according to the author, every tenth modern icon sold in Russia is a Chinese fake!
Just think about it, this is not such a small number at all! And this is only an approximate assessment of the situation, it is clear that the numbers could be more serious. Knowing the Chinese, who flood the world market with any in-demand items, one can only assume that over time, 10% can easily turn into 20 or even 50!

So what options do Buyers have?, if you can’t stop the influx of counterfeits made outside the rules (it will probably be difficult to do this at the legislative level, but the question here lies more in the moral and ethical area)?
Our advice is either buy modern icons where there is no danger of purchasing a fake, or... start buying ancient icons that the Chinese do not counterfeit and, we hope, will not!
Compare prices for modern icons and real ancient prayer icons, offered on our site: You will be truly surprised that ancient icons can be purchased at such an affordable price!
We do not want to deceive you, our Buyers., and therefore we always provide complete information about each item offered, this is extremely important for us!
You can say that ancient icons can now be faked, and we agree with this, indeed, the percentage of fakes is high, but fakes of ancient icons are quite distinguishable and we initially set ourselves the task of offering Buyers only real ancient religious items that are not fakes no relation and do not raise doubts about their authenticity and originality.
Among our regular Buyers there are simple believers, so do collectors, we value the attention of both Visitors and Buyers very, very much, and therefore it is absolutely not profitable for us, either for commercial or ethical reasons, to expose ourselves to the risk of losing Clients. In addition, we are also people of faith and for us the obligation to conduct relationships with Clients honestly is an unshakable postulate in our activities.
And while Chinese counterfeit icons are conquering the Russian market, You can buy an antique icon, although it will be, perhaps, less bright and elegant, but when you pick it up, You will understand how much more attractive, warmer, more soulful a real, albeit simple folk icon of the 19th century is!
This is absolutely not the same feeling as when buying a modern icon, but to understand this, you need to at least once become familiar with the antiquity, feel it in your hands, touch it with your eyes...
We sincerely wish you not to be deceived by buying fake Chinese modern icons, and if you have a desire to buy an icon of past centuries on our site, we will be extremely happy to help you with your choice and purchase!

Chinese icons are flooding Russia!

Have you decided to buy a modern icon as a gift, or want to buy a modern icon for your home icon case? Don't rush to do this, read this article first!
Stunning data was published in the newspaper “My District” on October 10, 2013 in an article entitled “MADE IN CHINA”: the huge photograph on the cover of the publication depicts popular modern Orthodox icons, which can be seen in almost every icon shop, made... in China!
Under the image there is an explanatory caption that informs you that by buying icons in Moscow, you can become the owner of a Chinese fake!
The article itself contains no less shocking photographs that provide a clear illustration of what is happening in Chinese provincial workshops specializing in the production of thousands of copies of religious items supplied to the European market and, of course, to Russia! The author reveals all the details of what is happening in China.
According to the author of the article, Andrey Moiseenko, the process of making Orthodox crosses, icons and other popular items has long been put on stream in China. At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church did not give any reasons, much less orders, so that this activity could be called legal. Therefore, we must understand that such icons are produced without observing Christian canons, just as if teddy bears or televisions came out of the hands of craftsmen.
Moiseenko talks about the events in China from the words of Kirill Shumov, the head of the icon production of the Symbolik company near Moscow, who toured several production facilities in the PRC, which continuously “rivet” religious fakes for other countries.
As Kirill found out, the Chinese work for several markets at once, and therefore they counterfeit not only modern Russian Orthodox icons, but also fulfill, for example, orders from Greek customers! Many of our tourists visit Greek shrines on pilgrimage trips and willingly purchase modern Greek images of saints there, with the proud inscription “made in Greece” on the reverse side, and even equipped with certificates that must confirm their Greek origin. In the workshops of Chinese “masters”, fake icons receive the necessary labels with a “Greek address” and the certificates themselves, so draw your own conclusions!
Enterprising Chinese mass produce icons, body and altar crosses, crucifixes, and other religious items and send shipments of goods to Ukraine, Romania, Russia and European countries.
So, even when on tourist trips to European countries, you can easily buy not an original holy image, but a dummy made by Master Liu somewhere in the vicinity of Harbin!
In our opinion, the situation is all the more depressing when you think about how willingly and with what a frantic scope in China they direct their frantic working ardor in any direction where even the slightest benefit shines! As it turns out, for Chinese manufacturers the moral side of the matter is absolutely not important; they only, in their own words, fulfill the wishes of the foreign customer.
However, what do official representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church say to this challenge? The article quotes the words of the priest Father John, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Poltevo, who assures those wishing to buy a modern icon that there are no fakes from China in church shops in Moscow.
We are inclined to completely trust these words, since the Russian Orthodox Church has its own production facilities, the products of which are distributed to church icon shops. But in addition to the indicated places of guaranteed trade, there are many alternative points of sale, the honesty of the holders of which can be questioned! There are many such points of sale of religious items in Moscow, but how many of them are there throughout the country, and how can one not think that there are a great many threats to purchase Chinese “assholes”?!
It turns out to be a paradoxical thing: if you want to buy a modern icon for yourself, and choose a suspicious (or not suspicious) shop for this, or take advantage of an online offer, they can easily sell you a holy image that is not made according to the canons and using the required rituals, but a cheap one a Chinese fake, which is almost impossible to distinguish from a real icon!
The author of the article also cites very specific and stunning statistics: every tenth modern icon sold in Moscow, according to Andrei Moiseenko, is a shameless Chinese fake! Just think, we are not talking about isolated cases, but about a system, and there is no guarantee that in a few years this figure will not turn into 20, or even 50 percent!
What should Buyers do if the influx of counterfeits from China cannot be stopped (we understand that this cannot be done at the legislative level, because the problem lies, rather, not in the legislative, but in the moral and ethical plane)?
We will have simple but effective advice: either always buy modern icons where there is guaranteed to be no danger of encountering a fake, or..., the assortment presented in our online salon, because the Chinese do not counterfeit ancient wooden icons and you need to understand that neither when they can't do it!
If you compare the prices of modern icons and those presented on our website, you will see how close they are in price, but at the same time it is definitely more correct to buy an ancient icon that has existed among the people for more than a hundred years and is not only created according to ancient Orthodox canons, but also a prayer, consecrated in a pre-revolutionary church!
It is extremely important for us that every Buyer, when choosing, receives complete information about the item, and therefore we post not only a detailed description, but also high-quality photographs that tell without hiding all the nuances of each antique item! In addition, we are ready to answer any of your questions, and we will try to make sure that you have comprehensive and honest information about the icon you are purchasing, or any other item you like!
Our regular Clients are people of deep faith, or enthusiastic collectors of antiquities, for whom the process of acquiring real authentic icons and religious objects is a matter of extreme importance and we extremely value their trust!
While Chinese fakes are being actively imported into the Russian market, you can, which may be a little dimmer than the modern one, but when you take it into your hands, you will understand that only an ancient wooden icon can be so attractive, soulful, warm, trusting! When purchasing an ancient icon, a completely unique feeling arises, incomparable to anything: in front of you will be a real ancient icon, painted by a master, for example, in the distant 19th century, and preserved to this day!
We wish you, our Visitors and Buyers, to make the right choice and not to fall into the trap of dealers offering to buy a Chinese fake instead of a modern real Russian icon, and if you have a desire to buy an ancient icon as a gift, or buy an icon for yourself, please contact us - we will always be happy to help you make the right choice and make a good, joyfully remembered purchase!

Hardly anyone could doubt that the Chinese would sooner or later get to the production of Orthodox products.

Kirill Shumov, head of the icon production of the Symbolik company near Moscow, personally visited a Chinese factory where Christian paraphernalia is produced. Not according to Christian canons.

Interesting story :
“I understand that it is cheaper to make irons, televisions or computers in China,” says Shumov. “But for religious objects, in front of which people give praise to God, it is important how and where they are made.” Chinese craftsmen specialize in counterfeiting products from workshops in Russia and Greece.

Shumov went to see how the Chinese satisfy the spiritual needs of the Orthodox. First, he and his colleague were brought to a small three-story mansion near Harbin. On the first two floors there are workshops, on the third there is the owner’s apartment. Greek icons are produced here. They are marked "Made in Greece".

A separate group produces certificates of authenticity.
“All the blanks and unsuccessful copies are lying on the floor, they can even be stepped on, including the faces of the Savior, the Mother of God, and the apostles,” Shumov is shocked. Owner Liu proudly stated that his business has been in business for seven years.

Before this, they produced bottles for perfumes - of course, the most famous brands. But competition in this business is high, and on the advice of a Ukrainian customer (the owner called him “Uncle Vanya”), he switched to icons.

For Liu, producing icons is just a business. He says that he respects the feelings of the Orthodox, but knows nothing about this religion. So are his employees. The next production is the casting of crosses and crucifixes, frames for icons. Large hangar, about 70 workers, casting and stamping equipment. Initially, sewing accessories were made here, but stamping crosses turned out to be more profitable. Products are made for both Orthodox and Catholics.

HOW TO CORRECTLY
“You cannot paint icons for Buddhists, Muslims and other pagans - this is desecration of a shrine on a spiritual level,” Svetlana Vasyutina, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Church Arts at the Orthodox St. Tikhvin Humanitarian University, explains to My District. - Even if he only makes copies or stamps standard crosses. The requirements for a person who creates such things were developed in ancient times. The list is quite long. But it doesn’t even discuss that he should be a believer. It is necessary".

FRATE'S PRINCIPLES
According to Father John, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Poltevo, there are no fake icons in church shops. They are purchased in Sofrino, in the main workshops of the Russian Orthodox Church or other Orthodox stores.

“But, unfortunately, in Moscow there are many salons, kiosks, and online stores that only pretend to work in the Russian Orthodox Church system, but in fact have nothing to do with the Church,” the priest concludes.

“Of course, if someone bought such a Chinese icon and prays in front of it, there is nothing wrong with that,” notes Svetlana Vasyutina. “But to be involved in the creation or distribution of such supposedly church products is a spiritual crime.”

DIFFERENCES

Externally, the Chinese fake is almost no different from the original Greek icon measuring 15 x 20 centimeters. The only difference is the price, says Kirill Shumov. An icon of this size in Moscow will cost about 4,000 rubles, and a Chinese one with the same image will cost 1,500 rubles.

Interesting article, isn't it? It read like a summary of competition in business. I liked the phrase " work in the Russian Orthodox Church system"And about Sofrino. Does everyone remember the birthday of the director of the Russian Orthodox Church factory in Sofrino?

The director himself:

If an icon can be consecrated and then prayed at, then why pay more?