Art exhibition celebrates role models in Chinese society

Wang Jiayuan cannot be described as beautiful by any stretch of imagination. But he is portrayed in an ink painting as "one of the most beautiful faces of China" at an ongoing exhibition in Beijing.

The 50-year-old has a heavily tanned, rough face because of years spent working as the secretary of the Party branch of Chunfeng village.

The village where Wang was raised is tucked away in the remote mountains of southwestern Sichuan province. And the harsh natural environment, especially the karst landscape, saw generations of villagers live in poverty and desolation earlier.

In his teens, Wang left his hometown for a better life. He later became a successful businessman. But he returned to Chunfeng in 2003, hoping to change the lives of his fellow villagers.

He then led the villagers to build roads, improving their links with the outside world. He also promoted the planting of plum trees to help the villagers boost their incomes.

His endeavor to reduce poverty in his village has won him many accolades such as that of a national model worker.

Earlier this year, he was approached by Liu Qinghe, a professor of Chinese painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The latter was inspired by Wang's work and wanted to produce a painting depicting the changes Wang had wrought in his village.

The work, titled Herald of Chunfeng Village, is now on display at the National Museum of China. It shows Wang chatting with fellow villagers and plum trees blossoming on rocky karst hills in the background.

"It is amazing," says Wang. "I'd never have thought that our village could be the subject of a painting and on show at a national museum."

The exhibition, The Most Beautiful Chinese, features 21 such paintings, each hailing a role model like Wang.

The role models have been picked by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee for their contributions to the grassroots.

The exhibition, ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, comprises works by 42 artists commissioned by the China Artists Association.

Wang Yingsheng, another professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, portrays Gabulong (1926-2011), a Party member of Mongolian descent and a former deputy head of Qinghai province.

"Gabulong lived a simple life. For instance, he refused to move into a residential compound for senior government officials. He said it would make it difficult for his friends living in the pastoral area to find him, when they needed him. So, he remained staying at an old adobe house," says the artist.

"He sought no privileges either for himself or his family. All his life, he treated himself as an ordinary member of society. The approach is touching."

The painter says he felt excited about his commission because it allowed him to showcase not only his technical skills but also experience life in areas inhabited by other ethnic groups.

The painting, titled Deeply Rooted in the Grassroots, shows Gabulong with 20-odd people of different ethnic groups in Qinghai.

Fan Di'an, head of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, says the project was challenging because besides having to portray the role models, the artists also had to depict the people they worked with or served, so that viewers could understand the challenges they had to cope with.

Wang Jianyuan says the exhibition will encourage his fellow villagers to continue their fight to overcome poverty.

"We also invite people from neighboring villages to see what we have achieved. We want to share our experiences so that more villages can get out of poverty.

"It's a battle that demands long-term commitment."

If you go

9 am-5 pm, Mondays closed, through Oct 29. 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.

(China Daily USA 10/17/2017 page10)