Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

ART lovers can now admire 64 bird-and-flower paintings by Chinese masters such as Qi Baishi and Wu Changshuo at the “Brushstrokes at Year’s Dawn” exhibition at the He Xiangning Art Museum. The works come from the collection of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

Wu’s paintings reveal a profound, majestic depth, while Qi’s pieces display a natural charm and a vibrant life force and Qi pioneered the distinctive “red flowers and ink leaves” style. Their practice both inherited classical tradition and gave bird-and-flower painting a fresh individuality and modern sensibility.

Cai Xianliang, director of the He Xiangning Art Museum, noted that bird-and-flower painting has long carried the spiritual aspirations and aesthetic ideals of literati and artists. Since the Beijing Fine Art Academy was founded in 1957, generations of artists there have produced masterpieces that blend traditional essence with the spirit of the times. The Shenzhen exhibition not only looks back on that artistic journey but also aims to bring the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area renewed cultural vitality through brush and ink.

Xue Liang, director of the Beijing Fine Art Academy, said the exhibition’s New Year timing symbolizes fresh beginnings. Bird-and-flower motifs — such as blossoming spring flowers and auspicious symbols — have long expressed people’s sincere New Year wishes. The academy hopes these elegant works will convey warm New Year greetings to visitors in Shenzhen.

Dates: Through March 8, 2026

Venue: He Xiangning Art Museum, Nanshan District (何香凝美术馆)

Metro: Line 1 to OCT Station (华侨城站), Exit C