Walking the Heavenly Match on Earth, venturing deep into Tiantai and Xianju along the southeastern coast of Zhejiang, one beholds a vibrant scroll of poetic mountain-and-water scenery and delves into a profound humanistic classic. In May 2017, the "Cultural Journey Through China’s Rivers and Mountains – Master Artists Sketching Taizhou" event, jointly launched by Phoenix New Media and the Taizhou Municipal Tourism Bureau, officially kicked off. Numerous master painters and calligraphers from across the nation took in the spectacular landscapes and rich cultural heritage of Tiantai and Xianju, wielding their brushes to create vivid artworks of Taizhou’s beautiful scenery.
"Cultural Journey Through China’s Rivers and Mountains – Master Artists Sketching Taizhou"
The master painters and calligraphers participating in the "Master Artists Sketching Taizhou" event include: Professor Zhang Wenxiang, National First-Class Artist and President of the China Party Building Art Academy; General Dong Wenjiu, former Deputy Commander of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison and Vice President of the China Party Building Art Academy; Yang Zipeng, former Vice President of the China National Light Industry Council; Professor Wang Minglu, National First-Class Artist and Executive Secretary-General of the China Party Building Art Academy; Qin Yifeng, National First-Class Artist and Deputy Secretary-General of the China Party Building Art Academy; Chang Zhengdong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Party Building Art Academy and Vice President of the China Masters Art Research Institute; and Yang Qian, Provincial Master of Arts and Crafts and master seal carver.
As a key part of the "Heavenly Match" series of events in Taizhou organized by the Travel Channel of Phoenix New Media, the "Master Artists Sketching Taizhou" event brought the series to a climax by having master artists depict the legendary charm of Taizhou.
Walking the Heavenly Match on Earth — A Poetic Journey Through Tiantai and Xianju
The "Heavenly Match" series of events by the Travel Channel of Phoenix New Media in Taizhou were nothing short of spectacular. As early as March of this year, the Travel Channel (hereinafter referred to as "Phoenix Travel") launched a "Heavenly Match Journey – Travel Guide Contributor Callout" to netizens worldwide. The call received an enthusiastic response from global audiences. In mid-April, Phoenix Travel, together with five renowned domestic travel influencers, completed a journey tracing the Heavenly Match, sharing the unique mountain-and-water scenery of Tiantai and Xianju with global audiences via live broadcasts, documentaries, and photo reports. Subsequently, international travel influencers from around the world gathered in Tiantai and Xianju to interpret the local "Heavenly Match" through foreign eyes.
The "Cultural Journey Through China’s Rivers and Mountains – Master Artists Sketching Taizhou" event officially commenced on May 8. Over the course of a week-long itinerary, the master painters and calligraphers conducted in-depth explorations of the two locations that make up Taizhou’s "Heavenly Match" — Tiantai and Xianju. Amidst the landscape, they gathered inspiration and depicted Taizhou through poetry and painting, bringing scenes of a heavenly paradise vividly to life on paper.
Marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army, the organizers hoped that through this event, participants could appreciate Taizhou’s natural, cultural, and humanistic scenery while reflecting on history and inheriting the "red gene." The first stop of the event was the One Island Campaign Memorial Hall. The masters followed the guide as they toured the memorial, moved by the story of the One Island Campaign and the contributions made by the People’s Liberation Army to the nation.
The guide introduces the campaign to the artists
In addition to informational presentations, the memorial also used a digital sand table to demonstrate the battle conditions to the masters. The One Island Campaign was a significant engagement in post-establishment China and marked the first joint operation combining land, sea, and air forces by the People’s Liberation Army. This campaign completely liberated One Island, significantly enhancing the modern combat capabilities of the PLA and highlighting the importance and necessity of building a strong military for national stability. Towards the end of the visit, the master artists were deeply moved. General Dong Wenjiu, former Deputy Commander of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison and Vice President of the China Party Building Art Academy, immediately inscribed a message for the One Island Campaign Memorial Hall: “A Classic Battle, Forever Recorded in History.”
General Dong Wenjiu leaves his calligraphy
After experiencing the resolute military spirit, the masters visited the Wuzixiong Glass Art Museum in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province — China’s first glass art museum, personally founded by the master artist Wu Zixiong. Chinese culture boasts a long and continuous history, giving rise to countless art forms, but nowhere else preserves the calligraphy of notable figures through glass engraving except the Wuzixiong Glass Art Museum. On the day of the visit, the group even met Mr. Wu himself.
Minister Yang Zipeng shakes hands with Mr. Wu
Upon learning about the group’s tour of Taizhou, Mr. Wu expressed great delight and demonstrated his exceptional glass engraving skills on-site, creating a lifelike shrimp in just minutes. Yang Zipeng, former Vice President of the China National Light Industry Council, remarked afterward: “Art is evergreen, art is eternal.”
Master Wu Zixiong creates glass paintings on-site
After experiencing the blend of culture and martial valor in the city center of Taizhou, the masters officially embarked on the "Heavenly Match" journey, beginning their exploration of Tiantai and Xianju with a bamboo raft ride down the Yong’an Stream, the mother river of Xianju.
General Dong Wenjiu experiences rowing a bamboo raft
Since Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty renamed the area for being “surrounded by famous mountains and caves, home to many immortals,” Xianju has enjoyed over 1,600 years of history. In ancient times, Xianju was connected to the outside world only via narrow mountain paths and the Yong’an Stream. Today, transportation has greatly improved the lives of the local people, yet the Yong’an Stream remains the mother river of Xianju, nourishing the land and its residents. With crystal-clear waters teeming with fish and shrimp, a bamboo raft ride along the stream offers views of Xianju’s picturesque beauty, making one feel as if in a secluded utopia like Peach Blossom Spring.
Masters experience bamboo rafting on the Yong’an Stream
The beauty of Xianju’s landscape is epitomized by Shenxianju (Fairyland). Centered around Xiyin Valley, Shenxianju features peaks, cliffs, streams, and waterfalls. Each mountain, cliff, cave, rock, and peak possesses its own distinctive form, creating surreal landscapes unlike any other. Recently, it gained online fame due to a rock formation called "General Rock," which strikingly resembles U.S. President Donald Trump.
"General Rock," resembling Trump
Faced with these unique rock formations and perilous peaks, many masters were inspired to compose poetry, contemplating how to capture the grandeur of Taizhou’s rivers and mountains through their art. While climbing and sightseeing at Shenxianju, Chang Zhengdong, Secretary-General of the Shaanxi Branch of the China Party Building Art Academy, remarked that painting is a re-creation of reality. The process isn’t about perfectly replicating the objective world but rather infusing it with the artist’s emotions and perceptions. Pointing to a pine tree growing from a rock, the Secretary-General marveled at the vitality it exuded. Moved by the beauty of the day, General Dong Wenjiu couldn’t help but compose a poem: “Mountains brighten my eyes, waters refine my spirit. Human artistry and nature’s beauty come together to paint Taizhou.”
Shenxianju
After spending a day in Xianju, the "Cultural Journey Through China’s Rivers and Mountains" proceeded to Tiantai, arriving during the azalea blooming season. The group visited Huading National Forest Park in Tiantai to admire thousands of acres of tea plantations and forests of cloud-brocade azaleas. With a forest coverage rate of 96% and an average negative ion concentration of 18,000 per cubic meter, the park is hailed as the "Most Beautiful Forest." The cloud-brocade azaleas here grow four to five meters tall, some even reaching eight or nine meters, with trunks as thick as bowls. Their average age is about 200 years, with the oldest exceeding 1,000 years, making them a true "miracle of China." Uniquely, cloud-brocade azaleas bloom in large clusters of tiny flowers, creating a breathtaking spectacle when in full flower. Zhang Wenxiang, President of the China Party Building Art Academy, was moved by the wonders of nature that inspire boundless creativity among artists.
Cloud-brocade azaleas
Beyond its awe-inspiring natural landscapes, Tiantai is also famed for being the "origin of Buddhism and Taoism, a paradise of mountains and waters." The masters also visited the thousand-year-old Guoqing Temple. Originally built during the Sui and Tang dynasties, this ancient temple has withstood a millennium of wind and rain and remains the birthplace of the Tiantai sect of Chinese Buddhism, exerting influence both domestically and internationally.
Artists visit Guoqing Temple
The temple complex follows the contours of the mountain, ascending layer by layer. It combines the symmetrical rigor of Buddhist architecture with a sense of fluid flexibility. The masters also felt the weight of millennia of cultural heritage during their visit.
Guoqing Temple
During the three-day creative excursion, while taking in Taizhou’s famous mountains, scenic waters, historical sites, and cultural relics, the masters also drew countless creative inspirations, never forgetting to jot them down on paper at any moment.
The masters fully immersed themselves in their creative work
The magnificent landscapes, long history, and profound culture along the way in Tiantai and Xianju served as excellent material for both calligraphy and painting in the eyes of the masters. On the evening of the last day of the trip, they wielded their brushes and ink to capture their impressions and insights from the journey, hand-painting the splendid scenery of Taizhou.
Display of selected works
Flowing like clouds and water, their works captured the forms of mountains and rivers and conveyed a bold, unrestrained artistic spirit. The masters spent one day and one night creating a series of artworks. It is understood that some of these ink treasures will be auctioned off at the “Phoenix Beautiful Children’s Charity Gala” later this year, with all proceeds donated to relevant charitable organizations.
The Phoenix Tourism Taizhou “Heavenly Match” series of activities are still ongoing, and the exciting Travel Influencer Selection event is now in full swing. Join us now to explore the poetic landscapes of Tiantai and Xianju together: