Cultural center hosts rare masterpiece exhibition to mark its 1st anniversary
The national treasure painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" has been rarely shown to the public because of its artistic values and historical importance. The Huang Gongwang masterpiece is being shown at the Zhijiang Cultural Center through September 29 to celebrate the venue's first anniversary.
The ink-wash painting has become an online and offline sensation as soon as it opened to the public on August 29, leading people to line up in front of the display case as it is a rare opportunity to view the masterpiece.
"The authentic painting will be displayed in the Zhijiang venue for one month every year," said Chen Shuihua, curator of Zhejiang Museum. "During the other months, visitors only view the replicated version."
The Zhijiang Cultural Center is commemorating its first anniversary with an exclusive exhibition of Huang Gongwang's masterpiece.
The painting is the best known surviving work of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) painter Huang Gongwang. Huang was inspired by the serene water and poetic views along Hangzhou's Fuchun River, and painted the work as part of a larger piece between 1348 and 1350.
During the reign of Emperor Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), its last owner Wu Hongyu loved the painting so much that he ordered it to be burned when he died, so he could take it to the afterlife with him. Wu's nephew rescued the painting, which was already split into two parts.
The first smaller piece, slightly more than half a meter in length, was renamed "The Broken Mountain" and made its way into the Zhejiang Museum, while the other went to the Palace Museum in Taipei.
In 2011, the first section was loaned to the Palace Museum in Taipei where the two pieces were reunited for the first time since their separation centuries ago. Since then, "The Broken Mountain" has rarely been shown to the public. Today, it is still believed a masterpiece of Chinese painting and a testament to the enduring power of art.
In addition to Huang's masterpiece, visitors can see the Yucong King, a ritual object of Liangzhu culture. It is a big jade cylinder with a hole in the middle that weighs 6.5 kilograms and depicts deities and mythical motifs common to agrarian cultures. Its shape is thought to represent the ancient Liangzhu people's cosmology.
Various-sized yucong have been discovered from the Neolithic period Liangzhu State around the Yangtze River Delta, but the one discovered in Hangzhou's Yuhang District is the largest and best preserved. The lines are so tiny and smooth that it's difficult to envision ancient artists carving such intricate designs with simple stone tools.
Liangzhu civilization had an urban milieu, social classes and a coherent belief system. The Yucong King was discovered in a Liangzhu king's tomb.
An enlarged digital reproduction of "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" is on display, allowing visitors who wish to delve deeper into the details.
The Zhijiang Cultural Center includes the Zhijiang Culture Public Service Center, Zhejiang Literature Museum and Zhejiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, and new venues for the Zhejiang Museum and Zhejiang Library.
During the past year, around 540,000 people signed up to the WeChat mini-program of Zhijiang Cultural Center with 23 million cumulative hits. About 8.3 million people visited the center and participated in 3,312 activities held there.
Over 1.23 million readers visited the Zhejiang Library and 1.96 million people made reservations for the Zhejiang Museum. To enrich citizen's cultural life, the library hosted 500 activities while the museum held 1,175 events.
The Zhijiang Cultural Center is the centerpiece of the Zhijiang Cultural Industry Belt, which nestles along the Qiantang River and includes Hangzhou's Shangcheng, Xihu, Binjiang, Xiaoshan and Fuyang districts. Boasting a solid industrial foundation and enriched talent resources, every participating county and district takes the belt construction as an unparalleled opportunity to keep itself at the cutting edge.
Following the government blueprint, plans are underway to develop four key industries – cartoons and video games, art creation, filmmaking and digital culture. These sectors will encompass 32 programs and receive billions of yuan in investment.
And the center is expected to provide an engine of change to the development of Hangzhou's cultural and creative industries and highlight the ambition to keep Zhejiang Province at the cutting edge.
If you go
Date: Through September 29 (closed on Mondays), 10am-10pm
Address: 3908 Zhijiang Rd
之江路3908号
