Feature: "See Nanjing" exhibition kicks off in Boston highlighting Chinese cultural elements

(Xinhua) 14:01, November 08, 2023

BOSTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A "See Nanjing" cultural exhibition kicked off at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, U.S. state of Massachusetts, late Monday, highlighting historical and modern elements of the 2,500-year-old Chinese city near the Yangtze River.

The exhibition features Chinese garden arts, Nanjing's intangible cultural heritage, and "Global Smile Delivery" -- a display of Nanjing's best wishes to the world.

It is also the centerpiece of the "Nanjing Week," a cultural exchanging program, on the theme of "Mountains, Water, City, and Forest."

"As a city having served as the capital of six dynasties in Chinese history, Nanjing is one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization and produced a myriad of great people in history," Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping said in his opening address. "Like the Charles River in Boston, the Qinhuai River running through Nanjing witnessed numerous major historical events."

With this Chinese art program and "the cultural feast" at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, "I have no doubt that the 'Nanjing Week' will offer the audience totally new and multiple perspectives of this wonderful part of China," he said.

Boston Council President Ed Flynn said that the exhibition, showcasing the heritage of a wonderful Chinese city, a city renowned for its natural beauty, "is serving as a remarkable symbol of cultural understanding and exchange, fostering the goodwill, and strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two cities."

Amaris Malfa, a young Bostonian, was wowed with the digital art "An Era in Nanjing," which enables the audience to physically immerse themselves into the dynamic Jinling cityscape and wander in real time through the historic city in China's Song dynasty over a thousand years ago.

The handscroll, magnified and projected onto a 110 meters by 3.6 meters screen, depicts a total of 533 figures, 90 animals, over two dozen carriages, horses and sedans.

"This is amazing! It is so vivid and vibrant, like a moving painting," Malfa said. "I really wish my fiancé could have seen it!"

Zhu Yingchun, a Chinese artist who lives and creates together with insects at the courtyard of his Suiyuan Workshop in Nanjing, presented unique "Insect Poetry" and "Insect Painting," which represent a beautiful land of dreams and harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature.

As a renowned Chinese city with a long history and rich culture, Nanjing boasts a wealth of intangible cultural heritage, including "Pingtan," which means storytelling and singing in local dialect, and "Kunqu Opera," known as a living fossil of Chinese theatrical art. It also holds the title of "City of Literature" granted by the UNESCO.

Since 2015, the city has showcased itself with the "Nanjing Week" in various cities and regions, such as Milan, London, New York, Paris and San Francisco, introducing the finest of Chinese culture and arts that Nanjing represents to people around the world.