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"Up Above… Heaven, Down Below… Suzhou"

"Heaven on earth" visits Berlin at the Chinese Cultural Center

July 21st, 2016
Ionuț-Eugen-Radu Sava, News from Berlin
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Under the millenary Chinese expression上有天堂,下有蘇杭 (Shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu sū háng), Berliners have now the opportunity to experience the secrets of China's Venice in a unprecedented painting gallery.

"The art knows no boundaries" is the perfect expression for this moment's inaugural event at Berlin's Chinese Cultural Center. Yesterday, 13th of July 2016, "Beautiful Jiangsu - Traditional Chinese painting of the Institute of Chinese Painting, Suzhou" gallery has been opened to the public.

Being one of the most developed and culturally enriched coastal city of China, Suzhou - the capital of Jiangsu province - is brought now closer to Berliners by means of a Classical and Modern cultural approach. The purpose of the exhibition is to foster mutual understanding between the German public towards the Chinese people using art as an instrument to build bridges of friendship with "sincerity between the two countries".

The rigorousness and romantic of the exhibition are visible with a naked eye. Hence, noticing Suzhou's reputation as "paradise on earth" or the "water city of the East", as the millenary Chinese wisdoms teach us, are only ways of demonstrating the dynamics and ideals of this visual sensitivity.

Set with exquisite works, painters from the Institute of Chinese Painting bring into light in Berlin, until the 16th of August 2016, the stories and the artistic spirit of the "Wu School of Painting" which emerged during the Ming Dynasty. The current exhibition is incorporated into the features of the contemporary southern Chinese poetry culture.

Some 45 top works signed by painters such as Liu Jia, Sun Kuan, Ma Bole, Liu Maoshan, Zhou Jumin, Feng Hao, Tan Yiwen, Yao Xinfeng, Ye Fang, Xia Hui and Su Rui are displayed to the public. These allow visitors to experience the unique elegance and the fascinating close-up charm of the contemporary famous Wu School.

The Institute of Chinese Painting - located in the very heart of China's Venice - was founded in 1960. It is now located in the historically rich TingFengYuan Park, being a top academic institution specializing in the theory and practice of traditional Chinese painting.

Being the current main attraction for the public, this event demonstrates a continuation of the development of traditional Chinese painting. Therefore, the projection amongst traditional heritage becomes embodied in both culture of the past and ideals of the present.

The exhibition is jointly organized by the Cultural Office of Jiangsu Province and the Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin, in cooperation with the Office of Culture, Press and Publication of Suzhou city (苏州市), whereas the Institute of Chinese Painting has been directly involved in launching this initiative.

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