Gutian Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy

Gutian Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy

The Gutian Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy is a cultural tourism attraction.

Fifty years ago, on a high sandy plot where two streams converge in the northeastern outskirts of the old Gutian county seat, there stood the Xishan Academy built in the second year of the Chunhua era of the Song Dynasty (991). Zhu Xi once lectured here and inscribed a plaque that read “First Among Xishan.” It was once destroyed by floods, but was rebuilt and renovated during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Qing Dynasty, it was a gathering place for poets and scholars every midsummer. In 1952, it was washed away by a major flood, and in 1958, the Gutian River Reservoir was constructed, submerging the original site of the Xishan Academy beneath the lake. People never forgot it. Now, fifty years later, the Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy has been built not far from the original site, on Houlonghou Island by the Green Screen Lake — truly cause for celebration.

A 20-minute boat ride on the Xishan ferry from the lakeside dock brings you to a majestic main building and a cluster of villa-like structures nestled among the green hills and clear waters, as if in attendance.

After disembarking, walk uphill along the stone steps from south to north toward the classic-style main building of the academy. Upon entering the front gate, you’ll see an inscribed couplet by Zhu Xi inlaid beside the bluestone door: “The blue sea opens to a dragon’s hall; the green clouds rise above a wild goose’s pavilion.” The horizontal plaque reads “Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy,” written in five large characters by the academy’s dean. Inside the entrance courtyard is a pebble-paved area. Near the upper hall courtyard lies a massive rock engraved with Zhu Xi’s handwriting: “Moon Guide.” Above it are four large characters in Zhu Xi’s calligraphic style: “Xishan First.”

Passages on the left and right lead to side halls and the main hall. Ascend a few steps to reach the main hall, a large meeting space spanning two to three hundred square meters. Two rows of brown tables and chairs are neatly arranged, and at the front stand a pair of large blue-and-white porcelain vases, two and a half meters tall, painted with the famous scene “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” depicted vividly. There are eight small rooms on either side of the hall, used as offices, bedrooms, or restrooms. The hall’s ceiling extends all the way to the roof. The upstairs features corridors on both sides leading to eight small rooms, while a winding stairway leads to a cozy third-floor room. Standing on the upper floor and looking out over the lake is a refreshing and uplifting experience.

To the east of the main building stands a single-story structure, the “Ningcui Pavilion,” which houses a medium-sized meeting room, along with a kitchen and several quaint dining rooms.

The academy lives up to its reputation, having already collected many artworks by renowned artists. In the main hall, there is a giant photo of the Green Screen Lake scenery, measuring one meter in height and 5.8 meters in width, truly breathtaking. There is also a bold landscape painting by Zhang Zisheng, vice chairman of the Provincial Artists Association and director of the Wuyi Painting Academy, and a unique collaborative landscape artwork by him and other masters, including Zeng Xianmou, director of the Provincial Painting and Calligraphy Academy. Noteworthy inscriptions include “Xishan Becomes a Painting Scroll” by Xu Huaizhong, chairman of the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and “Artistic Dragons in the Sea” by Chen Jimou, deputy head of the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee. Local artists have also made their mark: Zhu Dapeng, an outstanding national middle school art teacher, painted a detailed “Panoramic View of the Old County Seat,” measuring 80 centimeters in height and 1.2 meters in width, bringing back the submerged old city in vivid detail. Liu [name cut off], a teacher from Gutian No.1 Middle School, painted “Single Lotus,” which is highly admired. Yang Anxi, a young calligrapher from the China Calligraphers Association, inscribed a couplet at the entrance of the Ningcui Pavilion: “Facing the wind and moon, joy is constant; holding a cup and reciting poetry, all emotions are expressed.” It’s uniquely charming.

Descending from the main building, you can view six villa complexes below, each facing the lake, uniformly designed, covering nearly 100 square meters each, including basements, and totaling four stories. From the second to the fourth floor, each villa has a meeting room, with a total of eight rooms per villa. Beyond residential use, each villa has a distinct function — for example, Villa No. 2 is a “beauty and foot bath room,” Villa No. 3 is a “leisure bar,” Villa No. 5 is a “water sports service room,” and Villa No. 6 is a “tea bar and chess/card room.” Each serves its purpose and comes with corresponding facilities. For instance, Villa No. 5, built for water sports, provides pedal boats, rubber rafts, flat-bottomed boats, floating rafts, and over 100 lockers, ensuring plenty of fun for water activities.

The view at the painting and calligraphy academy is rewarding, but hearing the dean recount the arduous journey of establishing the academy is even more moving. As part of efforts by the Publicity Department and the Culture Bureau of this nationally advanced cultural county to continuously strengthen the cultural atmosphere, they dared to start from scratch to build the Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy. The county government allocated 18 acres of mountain land. Once the blueprint was drawn, however, funding became a challenge. They traveled extensively, seeking help from provincial and municipal departments. Persistence paid off — after more than two years, they secured over 1.3 million yuan, which enabled them to complete the 1,200-square-meter main building. Throughout the construction process, they practiced strict cost control, breaking down overall renovation costs into smaller budgets and assigning them to individual contracts. Materials were purchased directly from sources — for example, roof tiles were bought from the manufacturer at 4.2 yuan each, compared to the market price of 7 yuan.

After completing the main building, raising funds for the supporting villas proved even more difficult. As a solution, local entrepreneurs were mobilized to invest, under the principle of “whoever invests, benefits, and owns.” Under a unified plan, the villas were built and entrusted to the academy for management, with profit-sharing arrangements. Each villa required an investment of over 300,000 yuan. Eventually, six villa complexes were completed, forming the picturesque entirety of the Xishan Painting and Calligraphy Academy.