Visual Art in my community ----- Hangzhou

         Because I am an international student and I don’t have car and driving license that I couldn’t visit any towns and cities out of New Concord and Zanesville, so I have to discuss a city in China where I have been there. This city is called Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, it was capital of China in Song Dynasty and economic and cultural center in Ancient China so you could feel elegant Ancient Chinese style surround this city, also, the dominant art mostly is about Chinese paintings and handwritings. The art center of Hangzhou is the West Lake, in ancient China, there were a lot of famous artists, writers and poets that lived around the West Lake, and they left a large amount of productions to describe the West Lake. One of the most famous poets in Song Dynasty called Shi Su writes: The West Lake looks like the fair lady at her best, whether she is richly adorned or plainly dressed. So, it is not doubt that the West Lake become one of the most famous art centers in China. Around the Lake, you could see lots of Ancient Chinese wooden buildings sit near the lake, most of them are the stores to sell silk, pottery, china and wood staffs. Near the West Lake, One of the best art college in China ----- China Academy of Art located in there, so you could see some college students sketch and paint for tourist and surroundings.

        Zhejiang Province museum is also on the West Lake. It is a major museum of Chinese art and located on the Gushan Island in the West Lake. The buildings are in the style of the ancients. When I walked into the museum, the first exhibition room is to display the earthenware and bone objects about Houmusu culture between BCE5000-BCE3300, the earthenware are functional and beautiful with some animals’ patterns, just like fish, pigs and double-head birds, most of them appear the ancient life and their religious. The next5 exhibition room is about bronze wares in Shang Dynasty about BCE1766-BCE1122, the technique skills of bronze wares became more and more exquisite in Shang Dynasty, I was shocked by these delicate art works and weapons. Because I came to museum too late so I just watched two exhibition rooms. I heard that in this museum, most of the art works is about Chinese art works, and the exhibition rooms arrangement follow the chronological order to exhibit the works. Zhejiang Province Museum is one of the most famous museum in China because of its collections, the Remaining Mountains (Small part of Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains) is exhibited in there.

         For Chinese art students, Hangzhou is the place that everyone wants to come because its deep cultural deposits and strong artistic atmosphere. For every art students who learn Chinese traditional art, it is a good place to go.