Exhibition Name: "Two Beautiful Districts - Exhibition of Fine Arts Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Guangdong Special Economic Zone"

Exhibition period: October 9th to October 31st, 2020

Exhibition location: Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

Organizers: Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Guangdong Provincial People's Government, China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and China Artists Association

Undertaking units: Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Guangdong Artists Association, Propaganda Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China

Co organizers: Guangdong Art Museum and Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

On October 9th, the "Two Beautiful Districts - Exhibition of Fine Arts Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Guangdong Special Economic Zone" was held at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen.

The exhibition is jointly organized by the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Guangdong Provincial People's Government, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the China Artists Association. It is hosted by the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Guangdong Artists Association, and the Propaganda Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. The exhibition, with the theme of "Two Beautiful Districts", is divided into three major sections: pursuing dreams first, sailing forward, and colorful scrolls. A total of 198 works are exhibited. These works capture a magnificent panorama of the 40 years since the establishment of the Special Economic Zone, warmly praising the great achievements of the Special Economic Zone, vividly showcasing the beautiful prospects of building the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area and Shenzhen as a leading demonstration zone for building socialism with Chinese characteristics. They are a collection of artistic masterpieces for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Economic Zone.

Previously, the exhibition was exhibited at the Guangdong Art Museum from September 25th to October 5th, which aroused positive reactions from all parties and further stimulated the pride and sense of mission of the people of the province and even the whole country towards the great achievements of the special zone construction. Li Jinkun, Chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Dean of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and Chairman of the Guangdong Artists Association, believes that the works exhibited in this exhibition are inspired by a group of key figures in the Guangdong art community who have bravely explored new techniques for creating major thematic art. The innovative brushwork depicts the changes and achievements of the economic special zone over the past 40 years, achieving the unity of ideas, emotions, forms, and skills, showcasing the latest achievements of the Guangdong art community in climbing the literary peak.

It is reported that the Shenzhen exhibition of "Two Beautiful Districts - Exhibition of Fine Arts Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of Guangdong Special Economic Zone" will be held from October 9th to October 31st.

Pen and ink record the beautiful picture scroll of "Two Beautiful Districts "

Among the works selected for this exhibition, there are not only artistic masterpieces that showcase the development achievements of the special zone and the beautiful prospects of the "dual zone", but also portraits of ordinary workers and model heroes, and a painting depicting the new life of international cities and local culture.

The Chinese painting masterpiece "The Wind of the South - Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, Xiamen Special Economic Zones" is 16 meters long and 3 meters high. Famous Chinese painters from the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen Zhuhai Shantou Xiamen Special Economic Zone, and all Chinese painters from Guangdong Academy of Painting are invited to participate in the creation, showcasing the 40 year construction achievements of the Special Economic Zones with a unique artistic style.

This work is structured as a whole with "points, lines, and surfaces": the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, a major construction achievement of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Economic Zone, is used as the "line" to run through the entire picture, and the maps of the four special economic zones of Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, and Xiamen are used as elements, horizontally extending into the "surface" of the four major plates. The representative achievements of the Special Economic Zone over the past 40 years and classic cultural scenery are like dots of stars in the blue background, interweaving a brilliant starry sky opened up in the process of reform and opening up.

According to literature records, the creative team rigorously screened the content points of "The Wind of the South". As the most brilliant achievement of the construction of the Special Economic Zone in the past 40 years, Shenzhen has been highlighted in the long scroll, such as Yantian Port, the "Southern Pearl", Shekou Industrial Zone, the "first explosive" of reform and opening up, representative enterprise buildings such as Huawei and Tencent, as well as cultural and artistic landmarks and attractions such as the Shenzhen Reform and Opening up Exhibition Hall and the urban sculpture "Pioneering cattle". The Zhuhai Special Economic Zone focuses on selecting urban landscapes such as the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, Hengqin Free Trade Zone, Zhuhai Grand Theatre, and the urban sculpture "Zhuhai Fisherwoman".

"The First Explosion - Dedicated to the Builders of Shenzhen's Early Reform Period", "Pioneering Cows", "Time is Money", "Going South - Infrastructure Engineers Rush to Shenzhen Special Zone", "Take Off, Special Zone"The exhibition hall showcases many excellent works depicting Shenzhen, evoking collective memories of the 40 year construction process of the Economic Special Zone.

On the shore of the South China Sea, at the foot of Huya Mountain, gunpowder rises from the mountains, and a brand new outward oriented industrial zone is announced to be born in Shenzhen, the forefront of China's opening-up. The image of Chen Shudong's oil painting "The First Explosion - Dedicated to the Builders of the Early Reform Period in Shenzhen" freezes at this special historical moment.

Exploring diversity to witness the development pace of special zones

The exhibition works have diverse styles, including macro narrative themes, daily life sketches that are close to the local atmosphere, and modern exploration and exploration, presenting the creative achievements, artistic standards, and development trends of Guangdong art over the past 40 years.

Many large-scale works reflect the brushwork of Guangdong artists in their thematic creations. The Pearl River in the heyday, created by Li Jinkun, Lin Yangjie, Mo Fei and Huang Tao, is part of the the Pearl River Scenic Spot, a large volume of Chinese painting, which represents a section of the the Pearl River basin entering the central city. The works use traditional Chinese paintings to show the modern city, and show the magnificent waves of the reform and opening up of the the Pearl River basin in the past 40 years.

In the past 40 years, during the development and construction of the special zone, workers from Guangdong Fine Arts and Shenzhen have never been absent. Works such as "The Temperature of Forty Years," "China's Speed," and "The Five Star Red Flag," interpret the creative process and aesthetic pursuit of artists who draw nourishment from the great practices and colorful lives of the people.

There are also many visual and installation works on display in the exhibition hall. During this year's epidemic, the popular long scroll manga "China Anti Epidemic Illustrated Book" exclusively occupies an exhibition hall, broadcasting the shocking and touching moments of the "War Against the Epidemic" period through projection.

The total length of "China Anti Epidemic Atlas" is 1098 centimeters, and Luo Jikun, who graduated from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, is the lead author of this long scroll creation team. To fully showcase the representative figures, events, and scenes during the "battle against the epidemic" process, the creative team chose a traditional Chinese scroll style composition, deeply depicting the strong determination and powerful actions of the Chinese people to jointly fight against the epidemic. The work has become a vivid witness to the nationwide anti epidemic war under the strong leadership of the Party and government, providing a good example of how to use new artistic techniques to reflect and record major social events in the new era.

Chen Xiangbo, the director of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, introduced that many of the works exhibited in this exhibition are important collections of the China National Art Museum, Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou Art Museum, and Guan Shanyue Art Museum. They are not only representative works of Lingnan masters such as Shan Yue, Li Xiongcai, and Yang Zhiguang, but also important works from outstanding artists from all over the country.