On November 18, 2022, "Experience of Chinese Literati's Life Aesthetics for Foreign Nationals in Beijing—Guqin Exhibition" was opened in the comprehensive cultural space of Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Centers. The event is sponsored by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and organized by Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center. It was a project funded by Beijing Culture and Arts Fund in 2021.

Revolving around guqin, the event incorporates traditional cultural elements such as guqin, pottery figurines and calligraphy works into space design, and creates an aesthetic space with cultural connotations through rich experiences such as guqin exhibitions, guqin-making, the origin of guqin, and guqin performance. The life scenes of Chinese literati are displayed by both visual and auditory means, presenting a view of life aesthetics characterized by the pursuit of harmony and the respect for nature.

As the representative inheritor of guqin art (national intangible cultural heritage), Mr. Wang Peng is the curator of this event. He displays more than 60 guqin made by Jun Tianfang in Art Hall 1. It is the first time for many of them to appear in front of the public. Among the exhibits are also guqin scores, pottery figurines of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and "The Red Cliff Ode" by Yan Tianchi, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty.

In Art Hall 2, the event focuses on four ancient guqin in Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and incorporates traditional cultural elements such as calligraphy, flower arrangement and incense lore into space design. It interprets Chinese traditional cultural through life aesthetics and contemporary art, as it seeks to create an aesthetic space with cultural connotations along with a rich audio-visual presentation of artistic life.

A guqin concert will also be held during the event. The concert will feature guqin as the main musical instrument, whose beauty, strength and gracefulness will be fully demonstrated in the outstanding performance of the artists. A variety of traditional and modern art forms will also be incorporated to convey the openness and inclusiveness of contemporary China.

On November 24-25, the "Diplomatic Envoys to China" special event will also appear in the Guqin Exhibition. The event is co-sponsored by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, and organized by Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchanges Center. Guests from embassies in China, culture centers in Beijing and tourism offices are invited to participate. In an immersive experience, foreign friends will learn about the elegant life of Chinese literati through various activities. They will be able to appreciate Guqin and calligraphy with hands-on experience. They can also put on Chinese clothes, smell the fragrant flowers, and have a taste of tea, as well as enjoy splendid performances. All these will give them a unique cultural experience.

By enabling the participants to know more about guqin, listen to guqin performance, and appreciate its beauty, the event will interpret the spirit of Chinese traditional culture by means of life aesthetics and contemporary art.

Duration of Exhibition: 10:00-17:00, Nov.18-27, 2022

Audio Guide of Exhibition: 10:30-11:30; 14:30-15:30 each day

Guqin Art and Life Aesthetic Experience (Guqin, Calligraphy, Carpentry, Tai Chi): 10:30-12:00; 14:00-16:30 each day

Schedule of Thematic Event

This exhibition lasts for 10 days. According to the requirements of pandemic prevention and control, this event only invites target audiences to strictly control the flow of on-site personnel.

In accordance with the pandemic prevention and control requirements of Beijing, participants should attend with their real names, monitor body temperatures, and scan QR code with Beijing Health Kit (Jian Kang Bao). Please attend the event with a negative Covid-19 test result within 48 hours.

Participants with abnormal body temperature (≥37.3 ℃), abnormal Beijing Health Kit (Jian Kang Bao) displays, or Covid-19 test results beyond 48 hours will be denied entrance.