Yang Xianrang： Record Times with Wood Print

In 1955 at the National Youth Fine Arts Exhibition, 25-year-old Yang Xianrang stood out with his woodprint works “Outside the Circle”. Fifty years have passed and Yang has continued to record realities of new China with his woodprints.     

A Journey to Legendary Village of Eight Diagrams

Built 700 years ago, the Zhuge Village in the mountains of East China＇s Zhejiang Province has enjoyed the country＇s greatest labyrinths and most mysterious architectural works, thus attracting visitors from home and abroad.     

GUIZHOU WAX PRINTING MASTERPIECES DISPLAYED AT NATIONAL GALLERY

The exhibition on wax printing masterpieces of Guizhou Province was recently held in the National Art Museum of China. A total of 66masterpieces chosen from some 400 wax printing works of Guizhou Province were on display. These works feature elegant colors, beautiful patterns and cultural richness, representing the top level and artistic diversity of Guizhou＇s wax printing art.     

Night of Dance at National Art Museum of China

Lajos Szalay and Fan Zhou＇s works are coming together to strengthen China＇s ties with Hungary on the countries＇ 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations.     

Art Reborn from Ashes Stories of a Contemporary Artist in China

Xue Song＇s works have great visual strength, triggering spontaneous pondering on the underlying meanings. The scenes in his works combine elements in western paintings with images from traditional Chinese painting and do so with utmost delicacy. When observed closely, images and characters on the background offer more information： black ashes stand out of the picture, forming shadows of the times.     

Master Artists of Suzhou Embroidery

My curiosity about three master artists of Suzhou embroidery, Shen Shou, Yang Shouyu and Ren Huixian, were satisfied in the library of Suzhou Embroidery Research Institute. Publications and references reviewed these master artists＇ remarkable accomplishments in the art of Suzhou embroidery.     

The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century

＂The Red Flag Is Flying： Thematic Painting of China in the 20th Century＇is a research and publication project sponsored by the National Publication Fund and published by People＇s Fine Arts Publishing House. It is the result of several decades of art research and five years of collection and compilation by the author Cheng Lvsheng. The book includes nearly 4,000 thematic painting works by up to 1, 500 Chinese painters.     

＂ Flaming Phoenix＂ Rises to Embrace Olympics

On the morning of May 4, 2008, the Beijing Olympic torch relay kicked off in Sanya, Hainan province, the first leg on Chinese mainland. At the Flaming Phoenix Square of the Phoenix Island, China＇s short track speed skater and Olympic champion Yang Yang became the first torchbearer. The huge bronze statue ＂Flaming Phoenix＂, the new landmark of Sanya, witnessed this historical moment.     

60 YEARS OF PURSUIT OF PERFECITION Exhibition of Jin Shangyi＇s Donations held in National Gallery

The Exhibition of Jin Shangyi＇s Donations, jointly-organized by the Aft Department of the Cultural Ministry, the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Phoenix Press Group, was recently held in the National Art Museum of China, displaying the master artist＇s 39 latest oil works, sketches as well as his past donations to art museums.     

The Forbidden City on Canvas

Jiang Guofang is not the first to depict the Forbidden City on canvas. But he is truly a pioneer to create oil paintings on this ancient royal palace in such a large scale and from a fresh historical perspective. -- Yang Xin, former Vice President of Palace Museum     

YANG FENGCHEN： AN AMBITIOUS SCULPTOR

At the opening ceremony of the First National Exhibition on Professional Sculptors taking place in Chengdu, Sichuan Province,an old man with white hair and ruddy complexion drew special attention ot the aucllence. He was lang tel,gone,,, w, idl,H,,＊,, ,,~ .a..,~l, Sculpture Society. Yang was born of a famous family. His father, Yang Yingfeng devoted his lifetime to sculpting and is respected as the most prominent figure among the sculpture circle of Taiwan. Yang＇s exhibit at this exhibition, ＂Destiny Reverted＂, reinterprets the ancient Chinese philosophy and wisdom which emphasize on interaction between muscularity and feminism, the negative and the positive, and ceaseless vitality. ＂During mycreation process, I found with excitement that sculptures speak, epitomizing ideas, literature and even philosophy,＂ Yang explained with enthusiasm.[第一段]     

Xu Yuanchong： a Translator not But Better than an Academician

Editor＇s Note： On 22 August, China Foreign Language Publishing Administration, Translator＇s Association of China and China Academy of Translation launched an award ceremony in Beijing, representing International Federation of Translators （FIT） to award Aurora Borealis Prize to Prof. Xu Yuanchong of Peking University. Two of Prof Xu＇s friends from Southwestern Associated University in the early years attended the ceremony to express their congratulations. One is Nobel Physics Laureate Yang Zhenning and the other is Wang Xiji, the academician of Chinese Academy of Science and winner of ＂Two Bombs and One Satellite＂ award （meaning atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and man-made satellite）.     

Xi＇an Hosts Folk Video Festival

From October 28 to November 1, the 4th China Xi＇an International Folkvideo Festival was held in Xi＇an.This event is co-hosted by the Center of International CulturalExchange and China DV Commission and organized by Shaanxi Cultural Industry Investment Holdings Group （SCG）. With attentive review and discussion by the 11 jury members, the twelve awards were granted to a number of video and animation works, among which ＂Return Home Gloriously＂, ＂Bass＇s Grasslands＂ and ＂Watcher＂ won the Best Feature, the Best Micro~lm and the Best Animation.     

Paint from the Depth of Heart： Celebrated Painter Zhang Yahui

Zhang Yahui＇s painting works in his studio in Dashilan, a historic quarter in Qianmen in the downtown of Beijing, have attracted manyviewers. His paintings represent a bold blend of freehand and fine bmshwork. Years of hard practice in inking painting have enabled him to obtain virtuosity in overall layout. Created from depth of heart, Zhang＇s works fascinate viewers with well-designed layouts, innovative techniques, vigorous brushworks, artistic profundity and poetic beauty. By mixing characteristics of Chinese ink painting and Western oil painting,     

Art Information

Government and Bank Collaborate to Support Cultural Industries
On March 10, the Ministry of Culture of China （MOC） and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China （ICBC） signed a strategic cooperation agreement in supporting cultural industries. Cultural Minister Cai Wu and ICBC Chairman Jiang Jianqing attended the signing ceremony. According to this agreement, MOC and ICBC will abide by the principle of＂conducting long-term cooperation, supplementing each other＇s advantages and promoting common development＂ in order to encourage the development of cultural industries of China.     

Covered and Recovered Streets Zheng Wen＇s abstract photography on street advertising

Zheng Wen＇s photography exhibition entitled ＂Covered and Recovered Streets＂ was recently on view at Inter Art Gallery in Beijing＇s 798 Art District. With Zhu Qi as curator and Na Risong as artistic director, the exhibition displays 26 photographic works featuring street advertising and reflecting the artist＇s conservations and reflections on the ever-changing era of communication. Pasted, painted and covered over and over, the street advertisements common in our daily life are restructured with camera and transformed into abstract photographs, bearing unique details of color, texture, brushwork and composition.     

Classical Guqin Maker Tian Shuangkun

The quiet and melodious music led me to Tian Shuangkun＇s courtyard house in the depth of a hutong （alley） in the downtown of Beijing. Tian is a master maker of the Guqin, a seven-stringed zither known as China＇s oldest stringed instrument.His studio is furnished with traditional Chinese stuffs - old- style furniture, calligraphic and ink painting works, old pictures and the guqin as well. While I appreciated all these, Tian explained to me the long history of the guqin and his lifelong pursuit of perfection in making the guqin.     

Beauty of Ice and Snow on Canvas

Late September 2006, at the invitation of the Cultural Ministry of Belarus, a four-person delegation from northeast China＇s Heilongjiang Province visited Minsk, capital city of Belarus, to present China Ice and Snow Painting Exhibition at Belarus National Museum of History and Culture as part of China Culture Day co- sponsored by the cultural ministries of the two countries. The exhibition displayed 54 painting masterpieces by Yu Zhixue, founder of ice and snow painting, and his students. All the maior media organizations in Belarus reported the exhibition and Belarus Culture Daily gave an exclusive interview of Yu Zhixue. The Deputy Cultural Minister of Belarus was so impressed by the painting styles of Yu that he shook Yu＇s hands excitingly and highly praised Yu＇s works. A renowned Belarus painter said that ＂Trees with Crystal-White ice＂, donated by Yu to Belarus National Museum of History and Culture, would become an everlasting memory of the city of Minsk.     

Recent and Forthcoming Events

The exhibition “Buryat＇s Spirit： Rus- sian Artist Dashi Namdakov＇s Works” was recently on view at the World Art Museum in Beijing. The exhibition displays the artist＇s 68 masterpieces that he created in various periods, in- cluding 56 sculptures and 12 paint- ings. As a descendant of Buryat peo- ple, Dashi creates works that depict subjects of Lamaism, Shamanism, Buryat epics and Siberian myths. His sculptures unveil a mysterious world, mix decorative and symbolic elements of folk art with academic approaches of realism, and show interaction be- tween Eastern and Western cultures. The exhibition will last until January 4, 2015.