ONE HOUSE, MANY WORLDS

ONE HOUSE, MANY WORLDS

一座官邸，多元世界

如果官邸夠大的話，大使先生是否會考慮把它打造成一座中國文化藝術品的博物館呢？當筆者看到在瑞士駐華大使戴尚賢官邸的客廳里，竟然擺放著一頂美輪美奐古色古香的軟轎時，不禁產生了這樣的疑問。

ONE HOUSE, MANY WORLDS

Would the ambassador consider turning his home into a museum exhibiting Chinese cultural and artistic artifacts if it were big enough? This question came to my mind when I first saw the finely crafted traditional Chinese sedan chair placed in the living room of Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel from Switzerland in Beijing.

Text by Jeff Liang & Irene Gu Photos by Zeng Jian

Ambassador de Dardel was born in 1954 and holds a Master's degree in economics and a PhD in political science, and began his career in foreign affairs in the 1970s. This background may seem ordinary for any diplomat, and probably would not invoke an accurate depiction of the ambassador. In truth, Ambassador de Dardel is an energetic and quick-witted man capable of maintaining his dignity under a mantle of good humor.

Ambassador de Dardel was happy to see us from the very moment the jounalists stepped through the front gates. This uncanny ability to make strangers feel ease should be regarded as a prerequisite for any ambassador. This may be due to the ambassador's extensive experience as a diplomat, as well as the fact that Switzerland has been successful throughout history in maintaining its neutrality, which imbued a non-aggressive characteristic amongst the Swiss people. Without his title as the absolute representative of another country in a foreign state, Ambassador de Dardel could be considered an art collector.“ My wife and I enjoy collecting artworks from various parts of the world,” Ambassador de Dardel revealed. His home in Switzerland is filled with an art collection that he and his wife have acquired in their journeys around the world. Ambassador de Dardel did not give up this habit even after assuming his position as the Ambassador of Switzerland in China. The shelves along the 1st floor of his of ficial residence were bedecked with numerous artifacts and art pieces. This bewildering variety of art work, including that finely crafted sedan chair mentioned at the beginning, occupies a great deal of space.

“So which of these artifacts do you like the most?”When faced with this question, Ambassador de Dardel did not give a direct answer. Instead, he expressed that there were a large number of artifacts.“ We can't compare things that don't belong in the same category. Similarly, I can't simply tell you who my favorite woman is. I've a wife, a mother, and two daughters.” The ambassador's witty answer made everyone laugh. The placement of the ambassador's collections in his house seemed to suggest their levels of importance in the heart of their owner. For example, a statue of the Buddha crafted by a modern sculptor was placed at the most conspicuous location at the entrance lobby of the abode. The unique feature of this statue is a work of delicate precision and soft contours. Itsexternal form was created using coils of bronze wiring. Ambassador de Dardel also went out of his way to show us three paintings. From afar, these paintings appeared like an abstract depiction of an urban landscape. But when we got closer, we found that the images were actually composed by numerous tiny electronic components that have been pieced together like a mosaic.

Ambassador de Dardel said that his collection is not restricted to any country, genre, or time. The items may come from Spain, Australia, China, Cambodia, and other countries around the world. It was by chance that these works of art have gathered at this very location.“ They speak to me at a certain time, place and mood.”

This spacious abode immerses visitors in the spirit of openness and tolerance of this European country from afar, allowing us to appreciate their respect and passion for other cultures. This is the place where one can have a dialogue with the entire world.

The Ambassador introduces the art collection in his house to the guests.大使向來賓介紹官邸中的藝術收藏。

現任瑞士駐中國大使戴尚賢，1954年出生，經濟學碩士、政治學博士，70年代起開始從事外交工作。這些看上去與一般技術型官僚無甚差別的個人資料信息，顯然無法勾勒出我們今天這位精力充沛、反應敏銳，不時從熱情風趣的態度中透露出威嚴的男主角形象。

大使先生從將我們迎入大門開始，就展現出了一種超乎尋常的親和力。這種讓陌生人感到輕松愉悅的能力應該說是外交官的標配，但戴尚賢大使在這方面的修為可算是大師級的，完全沒有刻意的痕跡。這也許得益于他多年的外交官經歷，又或許是瑞士作為一個中立國，國民性格中與生俱來的“非攻”特質使然。

如果刨去一國駐在另一國全權代表的特殊身份，戴尚賢先生稱得上是一位藝術品收藏家。“我和妻子都很喜歡收藏世界各地的藝術品。”他不無得意地透露，他在瑞士的家幾乎都被夫妻倆從世界各地搜羅回來的收藏品堆滿了。2014年就任瑞士駐華大使之后，戴尚賢顯然沒有放棄這一愛好，他官邸一樓的諸多陳列架和茶幾上，也是擺滿了各種收藏品。這些種類繁多的“空間擠占者”中，就包括開始提到的那頂轎子！

關于“這些收藏品中您最中意哪個？”的提問，大使并沒有正面回答，他表示，因為藏品種類很多，“不同類型的東西是不能比較的，就好像我不能回答你我最喜歡哪個女人，因為我既有太太又有媽媽又有女兒”。大使風趣的回答引得大家捧腹。但我們都知道，物品的擺放方式能夠反映出主人對其喜好程度。大使官邸內各種收藏品所處的位置，也仿佛在向訪客透露出主人的心思——在大使官邸門廳最顯眼處，擺放著一個佛像，年代并不久遠，是一位當代雕塑家的作品。佛像的特殊之處在于，它的外形完全是由青銅絲層層盤繞而成，整體線條相當柔和，可見做工精細。此外，戴大使還特意向我們展示了三幅特殊的掛畫。這三幅畫遠看不過是普通的抽象派城市風景，但站近些細看，卻發現原來這些圖案都是由一個個細小的電子元件鑲嵌拼接而成的！

大使說，他的收藏不拘于國家、流派或年代。藏品可能來自西班牙、澳洲、中國、緬甸乃至世界各地。借著某種因緣，它們聚匯于此，“在特定的時間情境下與我發生情感上的交流” 。

在這樣一座大使官邸，你不難感受到源自這個遙遠歐洲國家的開放與包容精神，和他們對其他文化的尊重與熱愛。在這里，你仿佛在與整個世界交談。