Two Xinjing farmer paintings on display at National Museum of China
2025/12/10
Two works of Xijiao Farmer Painting from Xinjing Town have been selected for the prestigious 2025 National Farmer Painting Exhibition, now on display at the National Museum of China.
The exhibition showcases 278 newly created fine works from across the country, presenting the artistic achievements of Chinese farmer painting in the new era. It will run until January 2026.
The selected pieces from Xinjing are “Joy of Harvest Travels Far” by Fang Qimin, depicting a bountiful harvest scene, and “Roaming Amidst Green Mountains and Clear Waters” by Zhou Jing, portraying an idyllic ecological landscape. Both works blend traditional essence with a contemporary spirit.
In recent years, Xinjing Town has prioritized the inheritance and development of intangible cultural heritage like Xijiao Farmer Painting as a core cultural initiative, revitalizing this folk art amidst urbanization.
Centered on building its "Jiangnan Culture" brand, Xinjing has established a multi-dimensional display system integrating exhibition halls, art galleries, and community spaces. The Xinjing Folk Culture and Art Exhibition Hall, as the central venue, permanently displays classic farmer paintings and historical materials for creation, serving as a key landmark for residents to connect with local cultural memory.
To address the challenge of finding successors for ICH inheritance, the town operates annual public training classes for Xijiao Farmer Painting. It collaborates with the Changning Culture and Art Center to host Yangtze River Delta exchange forums on farmer painting inheritance and development, organizes thematic exhibitions in primary and secondary schools, and continuously holds the Xinjing Xijiao Farmer Painting Competition.
Artists in Xinjing consistently delve into regional cultural DNA, incorporating folk elements like field landscapes, Dragon Boat Festival races, and ancient town temple fairs into their works, making the paintings a "dynamic carrier" that animates historical memory.
Facing urbanization, creators are proactively breaking the limitations of traditional rural themes to explore new paths of "urban expression." Scenes of daily urban life—the lively atmosphere of a community convenience store, the tranquility of an afternoon café, the convenience of a "15-minute community living circle"—have all become fresh creative material.