Zhang Boying Art Museum

Zhang Boying Art Museum

The Zhang Boying Art Museum is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Zhang Boying Art Museum is situated on the western foothills of Quanshan Nature Reserve in the southern suburbs of Xuzhou, covering an area of over 120 acres. The classical buildings, designed in the late Qing Dynasty style, are built along the contours of the mountain in a well-arranged and staggered layout, including exhibition rooms, display halls, calligraphy and painting studios, an art stele corridor, and a library. The museum area is divided into three parts: the Zhang Boying Art Museum, the Folklore Collection Museum, and the Pengcheng Calligraphy and Painting Academy. The WenHao Grand Hall on the eastern side of the museum area is the highest point, offering a panoramic view of the Yunlong Lake Scenic Area. The grand hall consists of seven sections and is a corridor-style building primarily featuring black tiles and red walls, making it the largest single-span hall in northern Jiangsu. The interior mainly displays works by Mr. Zhang Boying and related collections about him.

The Zhang Boying Art Museum was established in 2004. It is a comprehensive cultural and artistic venue integrating collection, exhibition, research, and education, invested in by Wang Changqing, a private entrepreneur from Xuzhou, with over 78 million yuan. The museum’s name was inscribed by the renowned calligrapher Qi Gong before his passing.

The mission of the Zhang Boying Art Museum is to collect, organize, preserve the calligraphic artworks and historical materials of Mr. Zhang Boying, as well as to research and promote the Pengcheng School of Calligraphy, also known as the Boying Script he founded. The collection includes over 60 calligraphic works by Zhang Boying, 26 stone engravings, and a large number of rubbings, manuscripts, letters, and related historical materials. Additionally, the museum houses nearly 10,000 pieces of artifacts such as stone steles, stone sculptures, Han Dynasty relief carvings, and furniture, ceramics from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Republican era. To further study the literary and artistic achievements of Mr. Zhang Boying, the museum has also established the Zhang Boying Art Research Association and the Zhang Boying Writings Editorial Committee. Works currently under editing include the "Collected Works of Zhang Boying," "Calligraphy Collection of Zhang Boying," and "Biography and Critique of Zhang Boying."

The Zhang Boying Art Museum is located on the southern shore of the renowned Yunlong Lake Scenic Area in Xuzhou, covering an area of over 100 acres with a construction area of nearly 20,000 square meters. The museum’s name was inscribed by the master of Chinese studies, Qi Gong. It features attractions such as the Zhang Boying Exhibition Hall, Wenchang Teahouse, Xiaolaiqin Pavilion, WenHao Grand Hall, Moyuan Pavilion, Stele Corridor, Bridge Pavilion, Inkstone Pavilion, Tianchi Pond, Bilan Inkstone, Hundred Buddhas Hall, and Qunyang Slope. The museum is dedicated to collecting, organizing, preserving the calligraphic artworks and historical materials of Mr. Zhang Boying, as well as researching and promoting the Pengcheng School of Calligraphy he founded. The museum houses some of Zhang Boying’s works, stone engravings, manuscripts, and letters, along with nearly 10,000 pieces of various folk artifacts, making it one of the larger and more comprehensively endowed museums of its kind in China.

Zhang Boying (1871–1949), also known by his formal name Qǐ?, courtesy name Shaopu, alternate name Shaopu, art name Yunlongshanmin, and also called Dongya Laoren, was from Yuzhuang in Sanbao, Tongshan County. He was a modern calligrapher, expert in epigraphy and appreciation, and poet. In 1888, during the 14th year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty, he passed the imperial examination at the county level. Later, to support his family, he taught at schools in Pengcheng, Nanjing, and Xiao County. In 1914, the third year of the Republic of China, Xu Shuzheng, a classmate from his youth and then Vice Minister of the Army under the Beiyang warlord government, recommended him as a secretary. After the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, upon Xu's recommendation, he worked in the Secretariat of the Duan Qirui Government, serving as Deputy Secretary... More details about Zhang Boying ++