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Into the Modern World
Since its discovery by dutch scholars and western artists in the
early decades of this century, bali has become synonymous with
Shangrila-the last paradise on earth.
Bali's rapid entry into the 20th Century and the subsequent
tourist invasion of the 1960s and 1970s has unfortunete parallels
in other tropical idylls, where the usual result has been a
loss of cultural identity and native charm.
But history shows that Bali has resisted major cultural
invasion in the past, essentially by integrating and adapting
foreign elements in to their own incredibly resilient and flexible
living traditions.
The polyglot nature of Balinese art, with Indian, Hindu - Javanese,
Chinese, Islamic and european influences all in evidence, is
striking example of the Balinese ability to digest and absorb -a
fan here, a gold arabesque there, new deities everywhere - and to
reject those elements not compatible with their sophisticated,
conservative, integrated way of life. A popular misconception
among foregners is that the Balinese art have lost much of their
lustre-that gamelans are rusting in their pavilions and dancers h
ave left the stage for a job on the juice blender. Nothing could
be farther from the truth. In many ways, Bali si currently
undergoing a cultural renaissance, with bigger and brighter
temple festival, ancient artforms being revived and more musical
ansembles active than ever before in the island's history.
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