Cathy Mo 865068803@qq.com An exhibition of more than 200 traditional Chinese paintings by Wei Yuanbo (1925-2015) is being staged at Nanshan Museum to commemorate the artist’s 95th birthday. Entry is free. Wei, a native of Anqing City, Anhui Province, had solid foundation in traditional Chinese painting techniques owing to the guidance of his teachers Li Keran, Li Xiongcai, Fu Baoshi, Pan Tianshou and other masters when he studied at the predecessor of China Academy of Art, the National College of Art, between 1942 and 1946. He forged his own style by combining Li Keran’s solemn yet vigorous style and Li Xiongcai’s “Green Landscape” painting method with that of the refreshing and rich expressiveness of the Xin’an School, a school of art formed in the Yellow Mountain area. “My father had a strong passion for nature. He enjoyed climbing mountains and seeking out beautiful natural sceneries,” Wei Jia, the artist’s daughter, told visitors at the opening March 23. “He left behind footprints not only on mountains in his hometown such as the Yellow Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain, but also on many famous scenic spots in China.” During his outdoor activities, Wei Yuanbo did a lot of sketching and collected a wealth of materials for his creation. However, landscape on his paintings was not a mechanic copy of beautiful sceneries and it was rather the spiritual combination of his mind and the nature, which is a distinguishing feature of traditional Chinese shanshui (mountains and rivers) painting. He merged the styles of great masters Zheng Wuchang and Huang Binhong and created his own “Wei-style Landscape Painting.” Like many great painters, there was not a single day that Wei didn’t pick up his brush. He painted his entire life, focusing on shanshui painting for more than seven decades. All the artworks of Wei on display are shanshui paintings, with a few being outdoor ink or pen sketches. Dates: Until May 22 Venue: Nanshan Museum, 2093 Nanshan Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区南山大道2093号南山博物馆) Metro: Line 1 to Taoyuan Station (桃园站), Exit B | 