Glorious China - Fantastic Gansu ethnic culture exhibition opens in Vienna
VIENNA, Nov. 3, 2022 -- A thematic exhibition on ethnic culture, Glorious China - Fantastic Gansu, kicked off with an opening ceremony on October 30, 2022 in Vienna, Austria. Guests from China and Austria joined the hybrid online and offline event, during which they discussed humanistic exchanges and offered suggestions on how to best facilitate further cultural exchanges and foster mutual appreciation of the cultures of the two countries.
Special exhibitions such as the Themed Images Exhibition, the Tangka Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition, the Video and Music Exhibition and others were curated to display the cultural charm of Gansu. The exhibited photographs and the Tangka fine works vividly reflected the natural scenery and folk customs as well as social progress in Gansu, giving visitors an opportunity to learn about the history of Chinese civilization that dates back several millennia, as well as the culture and traditions that remain very much a part of western China today.
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The original music video of I Paint Gansu for You to See performed by Chinese musician Zhang Gasong from Gansu and British singer Jay Sean. Zhang plays the sanxian, a three-stringed Chinese guitar, and sings in dialect. With the local natural and cultural landscapes that provide the backdrop to the lyrics, the composition is sure to deliver a heart-pounding experience, as viewers get a vibrant and colorful picture of what life is like in Gansu today
Gansu, located in northwestern China, is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation and of Chinese civilization, and is home to 55 ethnic groups. The region boasts a great number of world-renowned cultural attractions including the Golden Section of the Silk Road, the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Jiayuguan and the Maiji Mountain Grottoes.
The 60 photographs exhibited at the event present different perspectives on Gansu's allure and charm, providing meaningful snapshots of the magnificent natural attractions, rich culture, simple folk customs and social development.
The Tangka paintings on display highlight the traits of Tibetan culture. Tangka, a distinctive form of Tibetan scroll painting, is regarded as a priceless piece of intangible cultural property and is considered as the most genuine representation of the region’s culture and the everyday life of the people. The art is infused with pigments made of gold, silver, pearl, agate, malachite and vermilion, and plants such as saffron, rhubarb and indigo. These natural raw materials enable Tangka paintings to maintain their bright and vivid colors over centuries, clearly depicting the history of Tibetan culture and life.
The thematic exhibition builds a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and Austria, giving the Austrian visitors a chance to meet Northwest China at their doorstep, to get a genuine feel of everyday life in Gansu and to enjoy the beauty of China.
