Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park

Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park

Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park

Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park is located on the southern bank of Baobei River in Chengguan Town, Helinge’er County, within the Da’nan Mountain Tourist Area, covering an area of

500

mu, with a total investment of

1000

million yuan. It integrates calligraphy and seal carving, paper-cutting, cultural leisure, and tourism. It is a newly developed, large-scale cultural theme park, a microcosm of traditional Chinese culture, and currently the largest calligraphy park in the Inner Mongolia region.

Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park is a premium project jointly conceived, designed, and constructed by the Inner Mongolia Calligraphers Association and the Helinge’er County Party Committee and County Government. It is a key construction project for Helinge’er County to welcome the city’s Two Civilizations On-site Meeting and a project aimed at benefiting the people. Its completion will become a new significant symbol of cultural development in Helinge’er County.

Its overall layout consists of the Mountain Gate, Seal Garden, Twelve Zodiac Garden, Hundred Family Names, and Nine-Turn Peony sections. The inscription for Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park was written by the renowned Chinese calligrapher Mr. Fan Zeng. The design concept of the park gate originates from Laozi’s philosophy: “The Tao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things.” Here, “Three” refers to the “Three Powers” and the “Three Lights.” The Three Powers are Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; the Three Lights are the Sun, Moon, and Stars. It conveys that although the world is vast, humans, as the most intelligent of all beings, can only transform the world by continuously learning and applying the knowledge they acquire. These three elements are connected by a Chinese knot, symbolizing infinite wisdom, infinite power, and infinite possibilities. The seven characters “Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park” on the park gate were inscribed by the famous Chinese painter and calligrapher Fan Zeng; the Mongolian inscription was written by the renowned Mongolian calligrapher Chaoluomeng. The simultaneous appearance of Mongolian and Chinese calligraphy reflects strong local characteristics. At the center of the gate is a Han-style seal bearing the two characters “Shengle.” “Shengle” was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, symbolizing prosperity and joy. This Han seal expressing the wish of the people of Helinge’er for the prosperity of the motherland and the peaceful life of its people. The relief on the gate depicts the totem worshipped by the ancient nomadic Xianbei people—the Xianbei Beast. This divine creature resembles both a horse and an ox, and looks quite similar to a real-life elk, except that the Xianbei Beast has horns on its snout and wings on its back. Legend has it that when the Xianbei people migrated southward and got lost in the Greater Khingan Mountains amid heavy fog, facing the threat of death in the forest, a divine beast descended from the sky and led them out of the forest to safety in the southern wetlands. Thus, this divine beast became the totem worshipped by the Xianbei people.

The construction of Dongshan Calligraphy Art Park holds high artistic, ornamental, and cultural exchange value. It not only provides a garden for calligraphy enthusiasts to appreciate and understand the essence of calligraphy but also offers local residents a fresh, elegant, and uniquely characteristic venue for cultural activities. Moreover, it adds an exceptional tourist attraction to Helinge’er County’s tourism industry, showcasing calligraphy art and the region’s historical culture. Its establishment will leave behind a precious spiritual legacy for future generations.