As the Hangzhou branch of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture welcomed its first visitors in early August, it became another landmark in the capital city of East China’s Zhejiang province.

Located not far from the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city, the venue is an addition to Hangzhou’s already impressive list of iconic places.

Covering 103,100 square meters, the Hangzhou branch of the archives is a major architectural complex consisting of 13 buildings and structures.

As well as helping preserve China’s bibliographical resources, it incorporates exhibition halls, libraries and museums, among other facilities.

It is designed to promote the preservation, exhibition, research and exchanges of China’s archival heritage, and function as a repository for the National Archives in Beijing in the event of a potential disaster, according to Wu Xueyong, who led the preparatory team for the establishment of the venue.

“As the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Hangzhou is a city with a profound cultural heritage,” Wu says.

“Therefore, what lies at the heart of the venue’s archival collection will be the Song Dynasty culture. In addition, the focus will mainly be on those archival materials from the area of Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River’s lower reaches).”

Historically, as a book-loving nation, China used to boast thousands of cangshu lou－ancient libraries aimed at collecting and preserving books and publications.

Figures show that Zhejiang was among the provinces that built the highest number of cangshu lou, with more than 800 erected since the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Some 11 still stand today, among which is the Wenlan Ge (also known as the Imperial Wenlan Library) in Hangzhou, built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1711-99) as one of the seven libraries for the collection of Siku Quanshu or the Complete Library of the Four Treasures.

The Hangzhou branch of the archives, named Wenrun Ge, which roughly translates as “culturally nourishing and gentle”, is, to a large extent, a continuation in the spirit of the Wenlan Pavilion, and its architecture is full of ingenious Song Dynasty cultural elements.

For one thing, the design of the entire site follows the style of Song Dynasty gardens, according to Wang Shu, chief architect and winner of the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

With next to no surviving gardens or buildings from that period for reference, Wang and his team turned to Song-era paintings for inspiration.

“From the very beginning, when we chose the site－an abandoned mine with several deserted hills－we have taken Song Dynasty aesthetics into consideration,” explains Wang.

“Gardens in the Song Dynasty were not built relying on artificial rockeries; the more natural the surrounding environment, the better.”

Therefore, all the architectural structures at the venue were built with minimal alterations to the original setting.

Now, without any special design, the view in front of the main building－called the main study－resembles the famed painting Travelers Among Mountains and Streams by Fan Kuan of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Another unique feature is the many standing screen doors, again inspired by the screens in Song Dynasty paintings, with the celadon tiles tailor-made at the Longquan kiln in Zhejiang’s Lishui city.

“Both in color and texture, celadon looks quite like jade,” says Wang. “It echoes the name ‘Wenrun’, the name of the venue, which means as gentle as jade.”

While drawing inspiration from the Song culture, Wang emphasizes that the architecture is far from a simple imitation of the past.

“It is completely modern,” says Wang, including the 15-meter-high rammed earth wall of the main building, arguably the world’s highest.

“I call the design concept ‘modern Song Dynasty culture’, meaning it is a modern interpretation and innovation of tradition,” he says.

Only in such a manner can Chinese traditions and culture be better passed down to future generations, he adds.

The poster of The Grand Canal as Epic on Earth exhibition. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

An exhibition titled The Grand Canal as Epic on Earth: Contemporary Art Themed on the Grand Canal of China is currently taking place at the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou, capital of East China’s Zhejiang province.

The exhibition showcases over 80 artworks, including traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, calligraphy, art installations and sculptures, that depict the achievements made by the Grand Canal cultural belt.

The exhibition primarily uses present the history and scenery of the Grand Canal to audiences.

The Grand Canal is the oldest and longest manmade waterway in the world and has a history of more than 2,500 years. The canal, which was named a world heritage site in 2014, connects Beijing and Hangzhou and was used as a major transportation artery in ancient times.

A collection of some of the exhibited works in the Zhejiang Art Museum. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

The exhibition will run till October 11.

Hangzhou International Arts & Crafts Week 2022 and Hangzhou Disabled Persons’ Federation jointly launched cultural and creative brand of “super artisans”. Six super artisans showcased the crafts of paper cutting, paper lantern making, and fan making with their dexterous fingers on the site.

Ruan Xiaoping, a member of Hangzhou Disabled Artists Association, taught children how to imprint ink paintings on the oiled paper umbrella on the site. Despite the mutilated right hand, the artist could draw perfect paintings and provided free lectures for disabled persons loving calligraphy and painting. She combined painting with traditional craft of oiled paper umbrella making. Shang Zhenzhou, a septuagenarian with hearing impairment, shared the same enthusiasm for art. He inherited craftsmanship for Shangren lantern making from his elder generations and has become an idol for enthusiasts of Chinese traditional culture.

The memories of the city have been imprinted on the artworks which were created by artisans as well as by ordinary citizens. The experience activities in the Arts & Crafts Week narrated the stories of tradition, modernity, innovation and inheritance.

Since its opening, Hangzhou International Arts & Crafts Week has also attracted French and Italian artists to present their artworks, promoting the construction of the International Cultural Creativity Centre.

When Zhang Han set foot inside Liangzhu Museum in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, the 10-year-old put on a pair of augmented reality glasses and embarked on a tour that took him back more than 5,000 years.

From exquisite jade artifacts to pottery, the museum displays various burial objects found in the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins have gained worldwide recognition as bearing testimony to the existence of at least 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

Wearing the smart glasses, Zhang was presented with virtual images of relics as well as related background information, such as the real-life scenarios in which they were used, their functions and cultural significance.

“It’s such a wonderful journey. Everything is true to life,” said Zhang from Tianjin.

Augmented reality glasses feature among a string of measures taken by the museum to give visitors a more vivid and immediate experience of Liangzhu civilization, while helping them gain a better appreciation of Chinese culture.

Tourists can also visit the official website of Liangzhu Museum to enjoy a virtual tour through high-definition pictures and virtual reality. With a click of the mouse, they can gain access to exhibition halls that they may never be able to visit physically.

Advanced technologies are increasingly playing a major role in Chinese museums. Long before the digital exhibition of cultural relics, digital technology was used widely in archaeological research and heritage protection, said Ma Dongfeng, executive director of Liangzhu Museum.

A big data monitoring center has been set up to better preserve the Liangzhu ruins near the museum. It closely monitors the temperature, humidity and flow of tourists. If the data from certain sites exceeds the limits, emergency responses will be launched, according to Ma.

In the northwestern Chinese city of Dunhuang, which is known for the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes, the “digital Dunhuang project” has made extensive use of digitalization. By the end of 2021, it had completed the digital collection of 268 grottoes, the image processing of 164 grottoes, and the 3D reconstruction of 45 painted sculptures, 146 grottoes and seven large relic sites.

The protection and revival of Dunhuang’s ancient culture is not an isolated case in China. The Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi province also have 3D “digital archives”, which allow precious cultural relics and historical archives to be permanently preserved.