Beijing inspection
On the morning of May 29, 2009, we got on the bus to Beijing, and the four-day art inspection began.
Beijing is the capital of China, one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government in China, and the national political, cultural and international exchange center. Beijing is located at the northern end of the North China Plain. Part of its southeastern part is connected to Tianjin City, and the rest is surrounded by Hebei Province. It is also the general hub of China’s land and air transportation. Beijing has successfully hosted the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years as a city and more than 850 years as a capital. It is the city with the most world cultural heritage in the world. It is also one of the "Historical and Cultural Cities" and the "Four Ancient Capitals of China". As early as 700,000 years ago, a primitive human group "Peking Man" appeared in the Zhoukoudian area of ??Beijing. The first recorded name of Beijing was "Ji".
At around one o'clock in the afternoon, we arrived in Beijing for the first stop of the inspection - Liulichang.
Liulichang is located outside Hepingmen in Xuanwu District, Beijing. It is a famous cultural street. A cultural center integrating books, antiques, stationery, calligraphy and paintings on one street. There are many famous old stores in Liulichang, such as Huaiyin Shanfang, Guyi Zhai, Ruicheng Zhai, Cuiwen Pavilion, Yide Pavilion, Li Fushou Pen Shop, etc., as well as China Bookstore, the largest antique bookstore in China, and West Liulichang The original three major bookstores - Commercial Press, Zhonghua Bookstore, and World Bookstore. The most famous old store in Liulichang is Rongbaozhai. Some people say: Liulichang is famous for famous cultural old stores such as Rongbaozhai. There is truth to this statement. The predecessor of Rongbaozhai was "Songzhuzhai". During the reign of Emperor Guangxu, it was renamed "Rongbaozhai" with the meaning of "making friends with literature and honoring as a treasure". The famous calligrapher Lu Runxiang inscribed the three characters "Rongbaozhai". In the late Qing Dynasty, literati and poets often gathered here, and during the Republic of China, the older generation of calligraphers and painters such as Yu Youren, Zhang Daqian, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi, etc. were also frequent visitors here.
After riding in the car all morning and under the scorching sun, the students were already very tired, but no one wanted to miss this rare opportunity, so they all got out of the car. The street was narrower than I thought. Some, perhaps more common on modern roads. Walking on the street, I feel like I have traveled through time and space and returned to the era of making friends with words, words, and poems. Just now, it was a high-rise building, full of modern flavor, but now it is so simple, quiet, and two heavens inside and outside. No matter how heavy your mood is, you will feel relaxed when you come here, and your heart will become more pious. You will have a sense of belonging here. After all, it is full of ancient atmosphere, which is very reminiscent. Moreover, this is also the place where our ancestors studied and conducted their lives. I don’t know how many high-ranking officials, nobles, literati, and talented people have stopped here and talked loudly. Even the former Qing emperors probably came here often.
In Liulichang we saw many paintings that we rarely see and works by some masters. The works in each studio really opened our eyes and we wished we had thousands of pairs. Thousands of pairs of eyes came to appreciate it, but the time was limited and it was time to gather before we could finish admiring them one by one. Although there were many places that we had not visited yet, we were already very satisfied and thought that we would definitely come back and visit them again in the future.
At around 6 p.m., we arrived at the residence where we visited this time, the Jingshi Hotel in Fengtai District. The hotel didn’t have a big facade but it was clean and tidy inside. The two of us shared a room. It was a really nice day. Tired, we fell asleep early after eating and washing up, looking forward to tomorrow's inspection trip.
The next day, May 30, at 7:00 am we set off to Panjiayuan, the second stop of our inspection in Beijing.
Beijing Panjiayuan Antique Market is located at Panjiayuan Bridge, East Third Ring Road South, Beijing. It covers an area of ??48,500 square meters. The market is divided into a craft greenhouse area, an old furniture area, an old calligraphy and painting books and periodicals area, There are four business areas including the antique area, with more than 3,000 stalls. Market operators come from more than 20 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions including Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei. In addition to the Han people, there are also more than a dozen ethnic minorities such as Hui, Manchu, Miao, Dong, Uighur, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Korean.
After getting off the car and walking out of the parking lot, you walked into the greenhouse area. With the flow of people, you can see all kinds of old goods on the street stalls. There are all kinds of goods here, such as antique furniture, four treasures of the study, ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, old books and periodicals, ceramics, etc. Chinese and foreign coins, bamboo and wood ivory carvings, Buddhist tokens, Cultural Revolution relics, etc.
The things here dazzled us, and many foreigners came here to patronize us. At noon, we met an old man when we were having our own lunch. The old man told us a lot about fine arts and Chinese paintings. He said that we need to paint Chinese paintings well. Not only Chinese painting, but all artistic creations must have good literary quality. He asked us to read more books on literature. He said that if a painter does not understand literature, he is not a qualified painter, he is just a mechanical painter. , His words touched me deeply. This sentence was really an unexpected gain for me. It also allowed me to find the direction of my efforts. Although our conversation was short, I learned knowledge that I had not learned for many years. , after saying goodbye to the old man, we went to the books and periodicals area in the south of the greenhouse area. There are really many books here. Many of them cannot be bought in bookstores, and the prices are very cheap. We all try our best to collect the information books we need. We spent one day in Panjiayuan, which was the place where we spent the longest time during this expedition and where we got the most loot.
On May 31, 2009, we went to the third stop of our art inspection, the 798 Art District, the Summer Palace.
Before inspecting 798, I first learned about its historical background: the old factory site and German-style architecture. Due to the relocation of Central America, the 798 factory was gradually used. At that time, because the rent of the 798 factory was cheap and the factory building was tall, it was very suitable for artistic creation. Therefore, it attracted a large number of artists to move in and gradually formed an art district. For a time, 798 became the most fashionable, avant-garde and representative Chinese art district. The complex composition here , rich in institutions, not only studios, galleries, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. Among the people who live in the 798 Art District, there are artistic young people who were once bohemian and cynical, as well as painters and sculptors who abide by tradition and follow the old-fashioned ways. Two completely different groups of people were born here. One group of people built their own creative studios in huge factory buildings and made pure art. Their works are difficult for ordinary people to understand; Warehouses are transformed into alternative art spaces, shops or restaurants, where they sell their works and make a living. Different artistic views and life concepts have not affected the communication and respect between them. The sports cars and bicycles parked next to each other in front of the factory seem to be a reflection of their relationship. However, more and more artists have retired one after another, and the development of many art spaces is not smooth. When there are no exhibitions, most bars and restaurants are empty. When we went there, there were very few people, unlike the bustling crowds in Liulichang and Panjiayuan. It is in sharp contrast to the lively art activities.
Most of the works seen in 798 are expressive works. The works here seem to form a clear boundary with society and social reality and realism themes. You cannot feel the reality here. The atmosphere and what you feel are the artists using a kind of paradise to express their views, embodying something spiritually surreal. The creative concept of 798 shocked me and made me curious. The inspection of 798 gave me more ideas for my future creations.
In the afternoon, we went to the Summer Palace in Beijing. The Summer Palace was built in 1750 AD and was severely damaged in the war in 1860. It was renovated on the original site in 1886. Its artificial landscapes such as pavilions, corridors, halls, temples and bridges harmoniously and artistically integrate with the natural mountains and open lakes, making it a masterpiece in Chinese landscape garden design. The Summer Palace is a world-famous royal garden, mainly composed of Wanshou Mountain and Kunming Lake. There are more than 3,000 palace and garden buildings in various forms, which can be roughly divided into three parts: administration, living and sightseeing.
It was already past one in the afternoon when I arrived at the gate of the Summer Palace. I bought a ticket and then toured the garden by myself. As soon as I arrived at the gate of the Summer Palace, I saw a plaque under the gorgeous eaves with three powerful ancient characters written on it: " Summer Palace". The first thing you see when entering the garden cabinet is the "Dian of Renshou". I heard that this was called the "Qinzheng Hall" during the Qianlong period, and was changed to the "Renshou Hall" during the Guangxu period. It was the place where Cixi and Guangxu met ministers. It's extremely elegant and chic here. There is a dragon and a phoenix in front of the "Ren Shou Hall". The dragon represents the emperor at that time, and the phoenix represents Cixi. When I step into the garden gate, I feel refreshed. As I climb up the steps, I feel a sense of returning to nature. The hustle and bustle of the world, the troubles and confusions all disappear one by one.
It seems like I have returned to the pure and innocent world of my childhood. My heart is calm and I am at ease. I am climbing among the grotesque rocks that lead to the top of the mountain. I usually do not exercise too much and walking is very tiring. It has slightly affected my hands and feet. Together, you still can't miss this rare opportunity to climb. At the highest point of the Summer Palace, leaning on the railing among the green trees on the top of the mountain, you can see the vast ocean of Kunming Lake, and the tourists on the boat are also very happy. The solemnity of the Buddhist Incense Pavilion and the elegance of the 700-mile long corridor have spanned five thousand years of Chinese culture. After walking out of the corridor, you will come to Paiyun Hall, which is the most magnificent building in front of Wanshou Mountain and forms the central axis of Wanshou Mountain. Kunming Lake doesn't look that big, but it's really far away when you walk around it. You go around Suzhou Street and then around Kunming Lake again to get out. The most shocking place for me in the whole garden is Suzhou Street. It feels like I am in Suzhou there, and I would never think that I am in a northern city.
June 1, 2009, Songzhuang - the last stop of our Beijing inspection.
Songzhuang Town is located in the east of the capital and north of Tongzhou New Town. It is located in the eastern development belt of the capital and the east extension of Baili Long Street. It borders the Chaobai River to the east and the Wenyu River to the west. It is the gateway to Beijing from the Northeast and Bohai Rim regions. traffic fortress. Songzhuang Town covers an area of ??116 square kilometers and has 47 administrative villages under its jurisdiction. As the east gate of Beijing, Songzhuang Town is a transportation hub for the Northeast and Bohai Rim regions to enter Beijing. Songzhuang Art Village was founded in 1994. In 1995, the Old Summer Palace Painters Village was disbanded. In the following years, a large-scale collective migration took place, with Old Summer Palace artists as the main members. So far, a large-scale group of free artists has been formed that is constantly improving and expanding. The painters here come from different backgrounds and regions, speak different dialects, and adhere to different charms, enriching the colors of Songzhuang.
Walking into the "Songzhuang Artist Village" does not give you the dynamic feeling of artistic atmosphere and artists gathered together as you imagined. Standing at the village head of Xiaobao or Xindian, you will find that it is just An ordinary northern rural area, but it was here that I felt a unique artistic atmosphere. Here we browsed many art exhibition works that we would not normally see.
This time we visited The inspection in Songzhuang allowed me to learn things that I could not learn in the classroom. It broadened my horizons and expanded our thinking. It also made me see that artists must have the courage and ability to step out of the secular life. On the contrary, it makes us feel that art comes from the true meaning of life.
Now we are still students in school and are not mature. So I took this trip to Beijing with a learning attitude. But we are also "young artists". Faced with the current status of contemporary art and the many artists and works, we can have a comprehensive understanding at any level, but at the same time we must also have our own understanding of the current status of art, works of art and artists. evaluation criteria. Broadening our horizons, raising our standards, knowing where we are, and finding out what we are lacking now are the focus of our studies now, and they are also the gains from this trip to Beijing.