Endless Green Mountains 3: The Tang Poetry Road, a Special Exhibition of Works by Chinese and Japanese Artists

The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan. One of the activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the friendly relations between China’s Zhejiang Province and Japan’s Shizuoka Prefecture is a special exhibition of works by Chinese and Japanese artists entitled Endless Green Mountains 3: The Tang Poetry Road, a Special Exhibition of Works by Chinese and Japanese Artists that recently opened at Zhejiang Exhibition Hall. The exhibition shows how the deep historical and cultural ties between China and Japan served as a bridge to facilitate exchanges between the countries in the field of humanities. At the same time, Tang Poetry Road acts as a spiritual messenger that pays tribute to Sino-Japanese friendship and culture.

The exhibition displayed more than 200 artworks that are the inspirations of some 70 Chinese and Japanese artists including works by research fellows at the Zhejiang Provincial Culture and History Research Institute, professors at the China Academy of Art, and artists from Shizuoka University and Tokyo University of the Arts. The artworks were displayed for viewing simultaneously both online and in person, divided into groups each bearing a distinct theme: “A path all the way here”, “The upper reaches of the cold, distant mountain” and “Far across the mountains and seas”. The works comprised not only traditional Chinese art forms such as Chinese painting and calligraphy, but also included nearly all types of contemporary art forms: oil paintings, video, new media, sound, and installations, blending the traditional and the modern. Most notably, the exhibition combines the heritage of The Tang Poetry Road in eastern Zhejiang with digital Internet technologies to show in 3D the history of exchanges and mutual appreciation between China and Japan, with a particular focus on Zhejiang Province and Shizuoka Prefecture. The exhibition interprets the magnificent Chinese poetic culture that has been passed down through the ages, highlighting the deep cultural lineage in which Zhejiang Province has a key role, and reflecting the harmony and friendship expressed by Chinese and Japanese people through Zhejiang Bears Gifts, a work featuring artistic fusion and mutual appreciation. An authentic calligraphic work by Ikkyu Sojun was also on display.

The exhibition is open to the public from November 15th to November 26th.