In July 2003, Yan Xuezhang resolutely resigned from his position as vice chairman of the Xiangfan Federation of Literary and Art Circles and went to Beijing with his title, starting a new journey in art. This rampant crab has drastically transformed its artistic direction, which is mainly reflected in three aspects:
First, it is rampant but not overbearing. Yan Xuezhang raised the banner of Chinese Crab Art in Beijing in 2007 On December 1, 2019, the "Chinese Crab School Painting and Calligraphy Art Collection Exhibition" grandly opened at the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Auditorium. This was the first comprehensive appearance of Crab School art in the capital. Wang Wenyuan, Vice Chairman of the Ninth CPPCC National Committee, and Liu Yi, Consultant of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, cut the ribbon for the exhibition. After the opening ceremony, authorities in the calligraphy and painting circles and theoretical circles in the capital believed that Crab School art was unique, self-contained, and unique in the contemporary calligraphy and painting circles. Art theorist Mr. Xu Encun pointed out at the seminar: "The Chinese Crab School is a new school of contemporary calligraphy and painting art created by Yan Xuezhang under the academic concept of 'doing things without being overbearing'. Yan Xuezhang's academic research, crab calligraphy and graphic ink zodiac paintings The three fulcrums of the Crab Art Industry and the Crab Art Industry together constitute the Crab Art System."
Secondly, Yan Xuezhang is an artistic lone ranger. In July 2003, he entered the capital alone and encouraged himself with the "Three Not Halls": "Don't become a disciple, don't join a gang, and shouldn't develop." "Not to be a disciple" means to turn to multiple teachers and maintain ideological freedom; "Not to join a group" means not to join any art circles in the capital and maintain organizational freedom; "Not to be an exhibitionist" means not to be influenced by the current direction of calligraphy and painting exhibitions. Create and maintain creative freedom. Dare to be the first in the world to raise the banner of Chinese Crab Art, and become a "three-legged crab" in a maverick way.
Third, the industry has successively implemented industrialized operations such as catering, mooncake packaging, desk calendars, ceramic crafts and stamps, etc., making the art of crab pie practical.
The core academic philosophy of the Chinese Crab School art founded by Yan Xuezhang is "to be aggressive but not domineering", and the principle of doing things is to "separate ideological criticism and friendly treatment of others". Being domineering is a way, and not being overbearing is a state of mind. Taken together, it means walking your own path in art with a peaceful mind. To achieve this, in addition to Yan Xuezhang's talent and diligence, the most important thing is his courage. After Yan Xuezhang arrived in the capital, he always wore cloth shoes that cost 10 yuan a pair. "You can't become an official even if you throw away the yarn." He had no artistic or ideological constraints. Although walking was difficult, he was very comfortable. Second, the Chinese family portrait, the Yan’s Zodiac brand was born. Since moving to Beijing, one of Yan Xuezhang’s greatest achievements in artistic creation is the creation of “Yan’s Zodiac Painting”. In the first half of 2004, Yan Xuezhang completed the first round of creation of the twelve zodiac signs in graphic ink painting. Once it came out, it attracted attention and praise from the calligraphy and painting circles and was hailed as a modern sublimation of traditional Chinese ink painting. Yan Xuezhang also combined the zodiac signs of different families to create "Family Portrait", which filled the gap in the creation of zodiac paintings and was unprecedented. Later, Yan Xuezhang raised the creation of zodiac paintings to the height of the harmonious reunion of the Chinese nation and created the representative work of Crab Art - "Chinese Family Portrait", especially the Dragon Gate couplet written by Yan Xuezhang on both sides of the work: "Who do you belong to?" "Whatever I belong to, no matter what I belong to, my blood belongs to China; wherever my ancestors are, my ancestry is wherever I am, no matter where I am, my roots are in China." This not only enriches the spiritual and cultural connotation of the work, but also expresses China in a form that is popular among the people. The theme of building a harmonious society and harmonious families advocated by the society can be described as both elegant and popular, with profound meaning and beauty.
On January 5, 2006, Yan Xuezhang, Huang Yongyu, and Fan Zeng jointly held the Beijing Zodiac Cultural Festival and published a stamp booklet. Huang Yongyu, Fan Zeng, and Yan Xuezhang are collectively known as the "creators of Chinese zodiac paintings" Troika". For two consecutive years in 2006 and 2007, CCTV introduced and broadcast Yan Xuezhang's zodiac paintings in the "News Network" on New Year's Eve. In November 2006, Yan Xuezhang's "Chinese Family Portrait" and the works of ten famous contemporary calligraphers and painters, including Shen Peng, Zhang Hai, and Lou Shibai, flew into space on the Shenzhou 7 returnable test satellite. Since 2006, Beijing Ziguangge National Gift Art Center has made "Chinese Family Portrait" into a national gift as a gift for national leaders when they visit abroad. On June 19, 2007, the Global Overseas Chinese Congress to Build a Harmonious World and Promote the Peaceful Reunification of China held a press conference in the Great Hall of the People. "Chinese Family Portrait" was designated as the theme painting of the conference, and Yan Xuezhang was selected as the Global Overseas Chinese Calligrapher and Painter. Image ambassador of the Conference to Promote the Peaceful Reunification of China. In November 2007, "Chinese Family Portrait" was collected by the United Nations.
Beijing Hanhai Auction has auctioned Yan Xuezhang’s zodiac works many times in 2006, 2007, and 2009. In 2006, the transaction price was 3,000 yuan per square foot, which rose to 5,000 yuan per square foot in 2007, and in 2009 It rose to 10,000 yuan in the spring of next year. The collecting community believes that the originality, academic and systematic nature of Crab Art determines that it is a potential stock in the calligraphy and painting art collection market. In particular, the two representative works of the Crab School, "Do Not Be Overbearing" and "Chinese Family Portrait", have been bid by collectors for more than 500,000 yuan in 2008. Yan Xuezhang, who has no official background, has impressed the world with his artistic achievements and market achievements based on his roots in the imperial city. The acquaintance between Yan Xuezhang and Yan Zhentang, former deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and president of the China Collectors Association, stems from an interesting story. Three years ago, President Yan accidentally obtained a piece of "Chinese Family Portrait" (a replica of the Colo version), which has been hanging in the center of the main wall in front of the Yan family's living room for the past three years. President Yan has also always wanted to obtain an ink painting of Yan Xuezhang's pattern. Authentic zodiac paintings. After being contacted by a friend, Yan Xuezhang presented a picture of a couple with the zodiac sign "Dog" to Yan Zhentang and his wife, who were both born in the year of dog. Yan Zhentang said: "The value positioning of a calligraphy and painting work is firstly historical value, secondly scientific value, and thirdly artistic value. The creativity of "Chinese Family Portrait" has these three values, and it is a good work worth collecting."
On December 27, 2008, "Yan Xuezhang's Year of the Ox Zodiac Exhibition and Industry Conference" was held in Beijing. Yang Yansheng, chairman of Hong Kong Tianjun Group, and Yan Xuezhang formally signed a contract at the opening ceremony. An initial investment of 50 million yuan will be used for Yan Xuezhang’s calligraphy and painting creation and the development of the crab art industry. The 50-year-old Yan Xuezhang created and exhibited 50 paintings of the zodiac ox. On one of the paintings on display, Yan Xuezhang captioned the "Half Hundred Jue" he had just created: One hundred and half is half a hundred, and half a hundred life is half a hundred keys. Half life is hard work and half life is blessing, half of it is gained and half of it is given up. Half confused and half aware, half grandson and half master. The joys and sorrows of life are always mixed, and the aesthetics of the world are half incomplete. Half a hundred years of life are wasted, and the remaining half hundred days will be known. I have been mistaken for crabs for half my life, half a day running wild and half a day resting. When Yan Xuezhang summed up his artistic creation path, he said: Crab art means going its own way, walking its own path. There is no road in the world. If you walk more, you will find a way. There is no road in the world. If you walk more, you will find your own road...