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Reacquaint yourself with a city from an art fair

In the middle of summer, everything grows. At the top of the Yellow River, Baotou is like a grassland pearl, and when it enters the most beautiful season of the year, Baotou's cultural vitality also shows its vigorous and prosperous trend.

On July 12, the 2024 China · Baotou Art Fair was grandly opened. On the day of the preview on July 11, two cultural celebrities visited the site, which also made this already star-studded art feast even more brilliant.

On the same day, Shan Jixiang, director of the Expert Committee of the Chinese Cultural Heritage Society and director of the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum, was hired as the chief cultural consultant of Baotou City; Jiang Wei, director and researcher of the Institute of Chinese Painting of the Palace Museum, was appointed as the honorary director of Baotou Museum and Baotou Art Museum.

For a time, art celebrities and cultural people gathered in Baotou, and famous artists and art boutiques appeared in Baotou Art Fair. Someone said: "Such a high-standard and high-level art fair is well-known even in China's first-tier cities." ”

As an industrial city in the great northwest, why is Baotou so favored?

Baotou is a place with a deep historical and cultural heritage

In ancient Baotou, grassland culture and farming culture converged and blended, and the exchanges and blending of various ethnic groups became the origin of Baotou culture. More than 2,300 years ago, King Wuling of Zhao built Jiuyuan City here, implemented the reform of Hufu riding and archery, and wrote a classic chapter of openness, inclusiveness, and ethnic integration in the early stage of Chinese history. More than 2,000 years ago, Qin Shi Huang set up Jiuyuan County, one of the 36 counties, here, and set the end point of the Qin Straight Road here, making Baotou an important hub for trade, transportation, and cultural exchanges between Saibei and the Central Plains. Wang Zhaojun of the Han Dynasty set out from Chang'an and passed through here to go out of the north and enter the Xiongnu grassland, which opened the national harmony between the Han and Huns for nearly a century, and also became the chanting object of nostalgic poems such as "go to the Zitai Lianshuo Desert and leave the green mound alone to the dusk" in later generations. During the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the people who lived on the north bank of the Yellow River and at the foot of the Yin Mountain sang the "Song of the Ole" in Xianbei language. The sky is like a dome, covering the four wildernesses. The sky is vast and the wilderness is vast. After the poem "The Wind Blows the Grass and Sees the Cattle and Sheep" was translated into Chinese, the "Song of the Mountains" was widely circulated inside and outside the Great Wall, and became a classic work of cultural integration of various ethnic groups. Since then, from Huaishuo Town, the head of the six towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty, to the Zhongshou City in the Tang Dynasty, to Yunnei Prefecture in the Liaojin Dynasty, and Meidaizhao in the Ming Dynasty, the mountains and rivers of Baotou have witnessed and written the history of exchanges and exchanges of various ethnic groups in this land and the splendid culture with unique Baotou regional characteristics.

In modern Baotou, the immigrants from Shanxi and Shanxi provinces "went to the west" created the excellent character of Baotou people who were pioneering and enterprising, tolerant and generous, and became the unique characteristics of Baotou culture. More than 300 years ago, thousands of young and middle-aged people from Shanxi and Shanxi went to Baotou to cultivate and start a business with great difficulty, which gradually developed Baotou from a border town to a thoroughfare outside the country, and created the quality and character of the old Baotou people who were hard-working and indomitable. "Go to the West Exit" and travel to Mongolia merchants prospered Baotou's industry and commerce, forming the commercial prosperity of "Nine Lines and Sixteen Societies", making Baotou the cradle of the development of Jin merchants and an important node of the Wanli Tea Ceremony.

Accompanied by the harmony of generations of Jin merchants, the art of Jin opera took root in Baotou. In 1935, the Northwest Opera and Film Society was established, and Zhang Yuxi, Liu Mingshan, Wang Yushan, Li Zijian and other famous Jin opera artists gathered in Baotou for a while, becoming the representative of the prosperity and development of modern culture in Baotou. During this period, Yunshuangyang, who grew up in Meidaizhao, Tuyouqi, skillfully integrated traditional Mongolia music with Jin-Shaanxi folk tunes, and gave birth to Baotou's local opera duo. The art of Errentai is deeply rooted in the people, and the classic repertoire represented by "Walking to the West Exit" has been passed down to this day. In the 80s of the twentieth century, he integrated the traditional singing of the duotai and the long and short tunes of Mongolia folk songs, created the original local drama Manhan opera, created a number of classic plays reflecting the historical stories of Baotou, such as "The Legend of Fengzhou Beach" and "Buyi County Shou", and won national awards. In February 1986, when the Baotou Manhan Theater Troupe performed "The Legend of Fengzhou Beach" in Zhongnanhai Huairen Hall, it was cordially received by Comrade Xi Zhongxun. In May 1993, when Manhan Troupe participated in the 3rd China Theatre Festival Outstanding Repertoire Exhibition in Fuzhou, General Secretary Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee, not only watched the performance on the spot, but also personally presented awards to Baotou Manhan Troupe.

Contemporary Baotou, along with the process of national industrialization, industrial civilization has created the spiritual background of this glorious city's hard work and innovation, and achieved the peak of Baotou culture. In January 1959, the Party Central Committee issued a great call of "Baotou Steel for the whole country, the whole country for Baotou Steel", and more than 80,000 builders from 55 cities in 22 provinces rushed to Baotou, creating a historical story of "working together to build Baotou Steel", and Baotou culture ushered in its own highlight moment in that hot era.

The classic film and song "Prairie Morning Song", which records the fiery era, was composed during this period. The predecessor of "Luming" magazine, "Steel City Spark", was also founded in this period, Mr. Guo Moruo personally inscribed the title of "Steel City Spark", and when it was renamed "Luming" in 1980, Mr. Mao Dun inscribed the title of the journal again. For more than 60 years since its founding, under the hard work of several generations of writers such as Malachov and Xu Qi, "Luming" has always adhered to the serious literary position, and has always occupied an important position in the national literary periodicals. Reform and opening up, especially since the new century, Baotou culture has inherited the industrial context, innovated and developed in the direction of diversification, and launched a number of excellent literary and artistic masterpieces such as literature, drama, film and television, music, dance, fine arts, calligraphy, and photography. The reportage "Ding Xinmin and His Migrant Worker Brothers", the poetry collection "Starting from an Eagle", the drama "Shocking", the dance drama "Eji", the oil painting "Warm Afternoon", the photography "Mood Prairie at 45 ° North Latitude", the paper-cut "Window Flower" and other works won national awards, and the TV series "Anju" won the "Feitian Award"; A number of nationally renowned painters such as Yang Feiyun and Liu Jingui are all from Baotou; The song "I Come from the Prairie" composed by Baotou poet Ji Zhengmin and composer Wang Xingming touched countless audiences; Photographer Wang Zhengping brought grassland horses to the world...... Baotou is a place that nourishes these artists, and these artists are also close to their hometown, which greatly enhances the popularity of Baotou culture.

Today's Baotou is forging ahead on the journey of returning to the highest level in history

Baotou people know that culture is the soul of a city, and the development of indifference without humanistic feelings is difficult for a city without cultural accumulation.

Since 2021, Baotou has accelerated the cultivation of new industries, made every effort to create new increments, and anchored the construction of "the largest rare earth new material base in the mainland", "the world's leading rare earth application base" and "the world's green silicon capital", and Baotou's GDP has advanced by 32 among the top 100 cities in the country. The practice of modernization in full swing calls for cultural prosperity that resonates with the pulse of urban development, and also provides conditions and creates possibilities for Baotou to build a cultural highland in the new era that continues the historical context, shows the spirit of the city, and stimulates self-confidence and self-improvement.

At the end of 2023, the Baotou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government issued the "Implementation Opinions on Making Every Effort to Build a Cultural Highland in the New Era", Baotou determined the work idea of "long-term planning and systematic promotion" with cultural plastic city, cultural people, and cultural promotion, and implemented the four major actions of "Wenrun Baotou", "Impression Baotou", "Charming Baotou" and "Humanistic Baotou", cultivating a group of cultural leading talents, creating a number of theme masterpieces, creating a strong atmosphere of advocating literature and literature, and building a northern literary capital, a northern music city, and a northern museum city. China's City of Photography and a nationally renowned artwork distribution center provide strong value guidance, cultural cohesion and spiritual impetus for the high-quality development of Baotou.

In this context, the 2024 China · Baotou Art Fair came into being, which is also the first time that Baotou has held such a large-scale art fair.

More than 40 cultural units, galleries, art institutions, and more than 100 artists participated in the exhibition, including Rong Bao Zhai, Beijing Palace Museum Culture Communication Co., Ltd., and the Fine Arts Department of the Art Development Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Celebrity and famous artists exhibition area, calligraphy and painting art exhibition area, cultural and creative art exhibition area, folk collection exhibition area, intangible cultural heritage exhibition area and other 7 exhibition areas, from the National Artists Association, Calligraphy Association, National Academy of Painting, Xiling Seal Society and other contemporary calligraphy and painting masterpieces, national well-known art colleges and universities professors, doctors' masterpieces, ceramics, purple sand masterpieces, well-known contemporary artists' paintings and sculptures, well-known photographers' photographic works, and intangible cultural heritage works more than 2,000 pieces of various art masterpieces appeared in the "Grassland Steel City" Baotou, It brought a cultural feast to the citizens of Baotou and art lovers in Northwest China.

On the first day of the exhibition, the number of visitors exceeded 20,000; With a total of more than 100,000 visitors in five days, the Baotou Art Fair has become a cultural event in Baotou and even in the northwest region.

Viewing exhibitions, buying cultural and creative products, and experiencing intangible cultural heritage ...... The scene was packed of people. Beijing Zhongyihe Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. has cooperated with the Palace Museum for more than 10 years, and on the day of the art fair, the reproduction products such as "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" brought by Zhongyihe were widely welcomed by the audience.

On the opening day, the students of the four classes of Baotou Qingmei Art Middle School were led by the teacher to the scene to observe, and the first-year high school student Xian Ziqi said: "Today, the opening teacher of the art fair took us to see, as an art student, I felt very shocked and excited to see the authentic works of famous artists on the spot, and I felt very inspired to experience so many high-level works of art at close range." ”

During the fair, artists from Baotou also returned to their hometowns to participate in this grand event.

Yang Yunfei, honorary dean, professor and doctoral supervisor of the Oil Painting Institute of the Chinese Academy of Arts, said: "I feel very kind to return to my hometown, and I feel very excited that my hometown can hold such a large-scale, high-level and rich art fair, and it is completely beyond my expectations that my hometown can do such a good exhibition." ”

Liu Jingui, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and a doctoral supervisor, said that art comes from life but is higher than life, and the land of Baotou has shaped his upright, honest and sincere character and awe of art, and his hometown is also the initial source of his artistic inspiration, illuminating the starting point of his artistic path. He said: "Although I have participated in various art fairs many times, nothing excites me more than participating in the art fairs we host in Baotou. I am very happy and proud to be able to return to my hometown to participate in this art event. ”

"The successful holding of the art fair is a milestone event in the development of Baotou's cultural undertakings." Jiang Wei, director and researcher of the Institute of Chinese Painting of the Palace Museum, and honorary director of Baotou Museum and Baotou Art Museum, said: "As the honorary director of Baotou Museum and Baotou Art Museum, I will spare no effort to continue to contribute my strength to the cultural prosperity of my hometown, in order to push Baotou's cultural cause to a new peak." ”

The long-lost enthusiasm for the exhibition also made artists and cultural and art institutions from all over the country feel very gratified.

"I didn't expect so many people to come just after the opening, and the enthusiasm of the audience in Baotou was beyond my imagination." Li Dongmei, the person in charge of the China Art Cooperation Exhibition Area, said: "For us, in addition to selling products, we must also do a good job in the dissemination of our excellent traditional culture, I am particularly pleased that many children also come to the exhibition, and I also tell them a lot of stories of famous works, hoping to ignite the artistic dreams in the hearts of children." ”

Hong Kong Tianyi Culture Group brought the "Palace Museum Royal Wood · Hong Kong Collection of National Wood Golden Silk Nan Exhibition", which has participated in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other places for many times, and this participation in the Baotou Art Fair is also the first time for the company to exhibit the golden silk Nanmu carving artwork in Mongolia. Luo Tianrong, the person in charge of the enterprise, introduced: "Golden silk nanmu is the wood used by the ancient emperor, with unique historical value and cultural connotation, this time into the Baotou Art Fair is also to show the unique golden silk nanmu carving process in the north of China, I did not expect so many visitors on the first day of the opening, beyond my expectations." ”

Zheng Lei, deputy director of the Institute of Chinese Opera of the Chinese Academy of Arts, said: "The scene can be said to be 'the best of the best, the young and the long and the salty', not only the elderly but also the children, everyone's enthusiasm for buying is also very high, I believe that this exhibition will have a very good role in building a cultural highland in Baotou, and can also allow the local people to better enjoy the fruits of cultural development." ”

Xu Jixian, a calligrapher and painter who is a member of the Chinese Artists Association, said: "The scale of this exhibition is not only a platform for learning and exchange among peers, but also an opportunity for Baotou to show itself, from art works to intangible cultural heritage works, which fully reflect the new image and development of Baotou." ”

It is a grand event of art, a dialogue of the soul, and a celebration of culture

For the first time to hold such a large-scale cultural and art fair, Baotou sincerely invites cultural and artistic celebrities to stir up sparks of thought and gather wisdom.

Learn from others' strengths and gather art into a forest. On the afternoon of July 12th, the Baotou Art Fair held an on-site pen meeting for artists, and nearly 50 calligraphers and painters from all over the country splashed ink and indulged in pen nibs.

Li Yi, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Arts, said that the PEN Club, also known as the "Yaji", has a tradition of "gentlemen meeting friends with literature" in China since ancient times, which is a kind of cultural complex and artistic creation state of ancient literati. Based on the "field" of the art fair, this PEN will make everyone's creation more targeted and culturally more "immersive".

Zhao Zhijun, a member of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, chairman of visual arts, and a member of the Chinese Artists Association, visited Baotou in the 80s of the 20th century and witnessed the changes in Baotou. He said: "Baotou has changed a lot now, and the literary atmosphere is very strong. The pigeon represents harmony, implying that the life of our Baotou people is getting better day by day, and the society is also harmonious and happy. ”

On the afternoon of July 12th, a symposium on building a cultural highland in the new era - Baotou Art Fair was held, where experts and scholars shared their research results and practical experience in the field of culture and art, and put forward valuable opinions and suggestions on the future development of the art fair.

Mongolian painter Hairi Khan expressed his high appreciation for the symposium and art fair. He said that Baotou has a rich historical and cultural heritage and unique geographical advantages, and by holding cultural events such as art fairs, it not only shows the cultural charm of Baotou, but also attracts more cultural resources and talents to gather here, creating new opportunities for the vigorous development of Baotou's cultural industry.

Luo Pengpeng, Honorary President of the Seal Carving Institute of the Chinese Academy of Arts, said: "The Baotou Art Fair should continue to adhere to the concept of high-grade and high-standard exhibitions, and continuously improve the professionalism and influence of the exhibition. In the process of building a cultural highland, we should pay attention to the combination of inheritance and innovation, not only to dig deep and sort out the local historical and cultural resources, but also to actively introduce and cultivate new cultural and artistic elements, and form a cultural and artistic brand with Baotou characteristics. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with other regions, introduce more outstanding cultural and artistic works and artists at home and abroad to participate in the exhibition, and inject a steady stream of vitality into the development of Baotou City's cultural and artistic undertakings. ”

On the morning of July 13, Zhou Jingnan, a research librarian of the Palace Museum, brought a lecture on the wood art culture of Qing court furniture, which attracted relevant people and citizens and tourists to stop and listen.

Zhou Jingnan said that the lecture aims to stimulate more people's interest and love for traditional culture by showing the unique charm of wood art culture. He observed that in addition to the rich calligraphy and painting works, there were also many exquisite Nanmu carvings and furniture exhibits, which complemented each other with lectures on wood culture, showing the profound heritage of traditional Chinese wood culture.

After the lecture, the audience had a heated discussion and exchange around the wood art culture, sharing each other's experience and insights. Mr. Xie from Yiqi Art Training Center walked into the lecture site with 50 students to learn about wood art culture. The teacher said: "I hope to let the children feel that the wood art culture is not only the inheritance of craftsmen's skills, but also the embodiment of the wisdom and creativity of the Chinese nation, and hope to stimulate their love for the excellent traditional Chinese culture." ”

Art nourishes the city and nurtures new hope. On the afternoon of July 13th, the public auction of Baotou Art Fair was held at the Baotou International Convention and Exhibition Center. Most of the auction works are created by artists such as members of the China Artists Association, the Chinese Calligraphers Association and well-known professors from various art colleges and universities during the art fair, and all works are priced at 0 yuan, and the proceeds from the auction will be used for the development of culture and art in Baotou City.

The bidding atmosphere at the auction site was tense and intense, and 34 pieces of calligraphy, painting and cultural works were successfully bid. Shi Wei, a citizen of Baotou, successfully auctioned five works in this auction, among which his favorite is Zhang Daqian's copy prints and Liu Jindang's "Tang Dynasty Poetry Intent". He said: "The elderly in the family are more fond of calligraphy and painting, and under the influence of the family atmosphere, I am also very interested in art. I feel that the art fair is very meaningful, and I can collect a lot of good works. I look forward to holding more art exchange and auction activities in Baotou in the future, so as to provide a broader platform for our collectors. ”

A high-level art event is gathering a new cultural magnetic field.

During the art fair, Baotou launched a series of supporting cultural and tourism activities. On the evening of July 12th, Baotou Art Theater performed a special performance at the "Eile Combination" Art Fair; On the evening of July 12, a special street concert for the art fair was held on Hengzhu Street; During the art fair, 33 A-level scenic spots in Baotou can be exempted from the first ticket with the exhibitor card and guest card, and 12 star-rated hotels can enjoy preferential stay; During the art fair, the Baotou Small Theatre Alliance carefully prepared 6 performances, including a one-act play, a children's play, a cross talk, and a talk show, and exhibitors and guests could watch it for free with their certificates......

Li Dongmei, an exhibitor from Beijing, said: "I also want to take a good look at the city of Baotou during the day and at night, and I heard that it is the most beautiful season for the grassland, and I also want to take this opportunity to feel the charm of the grassland." ”

Luo Tianrong, an exhibitor from Hong Kong, said: "The climate here is cool, there is a lot of delicious food, and the people are very welcoming, and I hope that the Baotou Art Fair will continue to be held." ”

Adhere to the cultural plastic city, cultural people, and promote production with culture - the power of culture is nourishing people's hearts with the strength of dripping water through stones, and singing in a low voice. Starting from an art fair, the industrial city of Baotou has once again planted a seed full of hope, empowering the high-quality development of the city with culture, and there is still more room for imagination in the future of Baotou.

(Reporter of Baotou Rong Media Center: Kang Lu)