Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy

　　The Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy was founded in October 1985, covering an area of 16,000 square meters with a construction area of over 9,000 square meters. It is a cultural institution integrating calligraphy and painting research, creation, exhibitions, exchanges, and collections. It is currently the largest municipal-level calligraphy and painting academy in China.

　　The architecture of the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy combines traditional national features with modern garden design. The courtyard features vine corridors, pavilions, rockeries, fountains, and a stone carving wall of the Thousand Character Classic. Pines and bamboos vie in beauty, flowers bloom in brilliant colors, and the serene landscape makes it an ideal place for calligraphy and painting. It has become a window of Heze’s opening-up, a hub for calligraphy and painting activities, an important tourist attraction, and a base for patriotic education. It is open to the public year-round. The two major exhibition halls in the east and west, covering an area of over 900 square meters, have hosted and organized more than 200 exhibitions. The Heze Stele Corridor, stretching over 400 meters, primarily reflects the scenery of Heze and praises the peonies of Heze, while also featuring portraits and stories of some historical figures. Many of the works are created by contemporary calligraphy and painting masters, and several inscriptions by great leaders and sages are also engraved here. The collection is strongly nationalistic, distinctly regional, and artistically exquisite. The Heze Calligraphy and Painting Works Exhibition Hall displays carefully created artworks by local artists, representing the highest level of Heze’s calligraphy and painting art. The Chao Mei Print Art Exhibition Hall houses 80 masterpieces generously donated by Mr. Chao Mei. These works mainly depict the vigorous pioneering spirit and magnificent landscapes of the people reclaiming the “Great Northern Wilderness,” blending history and artistry, showcasing Mr. Chao Mei’s exceptional printmaking skills. As a result, the academy is hailed as an “artistic marvel,” a “peerless palace of paintings,” and a “foundation of national culture and a hall of calligraphy and painting art.” Liu Bingsen, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, praised: “Heaven-sent roots in southwestern Shandong, black peonies like Wei Zi, Yao Huang—paired with the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy, every visitor finds deep connection here.” The academy’s unique charm attracts guests from all directions. Former NPC Standing Committee Chairman Wan Li, former members of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, former members of the CPC Central Committee and Secretaries of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, former Vice Chairmen of the CPC Central Committee, former NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairmen Liao Hansheng and others, as well as former CPPCC Vice Chairmen, NPC Standing Committee Vice Chairmen Wang Guangying and He Luli, CPPCC Vice Chairmen Wan Guoquan, and others have all inspected the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy and spoke highly of it.

　　In 1985, the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy appointed Mr. Shu Tong as its chief advisor, and Su Yiran, Cui Zipan, Xu Linlu, Yu Xining, Liu Bingsen, and Liu Yi as honorary presidents. The academy also has over 120 external artists. Academy artists were twice invited to create 65 calligraphy and painting works for the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council at Zhongnanhai. Over 2,000 calligraphy and painting works have been published in central and provincial newspapers and magazines, more than 600 have been selected for national and provincial exhibitions, and the artists have held over 60 exhibitions outside the academy. They have also edited and published large-format deluxe albums such as “Liu Bingsen’s Regular Script Inscription on the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy Stele,” “Contemporary Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting Collection,” “Selected Works of the Peony Cup Competition,” “Heze Forest of Steles Collection,” and “Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy.” In April 2000, a large-scale photography exhibition of peonies by Gao Zhanxiang, then Secretary of the Party Group of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, was held. Over 100 news outlets, including People’s Daily, CCTV, Dazhong Daily, Shandong TV, Hong Kong Star Chinese Channel, and relevant Japanese news organizations, featured special reports or news coverage on the academy and its artists.

　　Additionally, the Zhao Dengyu Memorial Hall, built within the academy, recreates the glorious achievements of General Zhao Dengyu, a renowned anti-Japanese hero from Heze, through extensive detailed texts and images. It enthusiastically extols General Zhao’s noble national integrity and patriotic spirit of sacrificing himself for the country.

　　The Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy has been awarded municipal-level titles such as “Civilized Unit,” “Civilized Window Unit,” “Provincial-Level Health Advanced Unit,” “Shandong Province Advanced Collective for Cultural Outreach,” and “Regional Patriotic Education Base.” In 1992, it was included in the “China Tourism Information Database” by the National Tourism Administration. In 1997, it was featured in the “Grand View of China’s Famous Scenic Spots and Tourist Attractions,” compiled by the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics, China Tourism Association, China Landscape and Historic Sites Association, and China Museums Association, and listed among the top 500 famous scenic spots in China. In 2000, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles established the “China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Artists’ Life and Creation Base” at the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy.

　　The Heze Stele Corridor, located within the Heze Calligraphy and Painting Academy, was completed in two phases in 1985 and 1995, stretching nearly 500 meters with over 400 carved stones, making it the longest stele corridor in China. The corridor primarily features poems and verses from various dynasties praising the national flower, the peony, as well as depictions of the peony’s beauty. It includes handwritten works by historical figures and great leaders, as well as creations by modern masters such as Shu Tong, Qi Gong, Cang Kejia, Huang Miaozi, Wang Ge, Tang Yun, Shen Peng, Liu Bingsen, Wu Zhongqi, and Sha Menghai. The corridor also showcases painted works depicting historical figures from Heze and rare varieties of peonies. With a rich variety of artistic styles and expressive forms, it forms a stunning landscape that brings together works by contemporary calligraphers and integrates peony culture, attracting tens of thousands of tourists for sightseeing.

　　Source: History and Chronicles Office of Mudan District, Heze City