Director advocates greater public art education

Boosting museum access will pay huge dividends for society, Lin Qi reports.

For several years, Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, has been spending Lunar New Year, the first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, with visitors to his museum, which is one of the country's top cultural venues.

This year was no different. After waiting in long queues, visitors entering the museum's compound in downtown Beijing were greeted by Wu, who is a sculptor and calligrapher in his own right, and several other artists. Writing the Chinese character fu (meaning good luck and happiness) on a square piece of red paper, they presented them as gifts — a traditional way at Chinese New Year to deliver blessings.

More than 500 of the calligraphy pieces were given away that day, a festive event that has been held for nine years at the museum, with the exception of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wu says it is an important gesture by the national art museum to repay museumgoers for their loyalty and support for the museum, and appreciation of its collection. It is also, he says, a demonstration of the Chinese cultural spirit.

As a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Wu values the importance of integrating calligraphy into the regular operations of art museums.

In one of his proposals submitted to the current session of the CPPCC National Committee, he has reiterated the need for a bigger role for calligraphy in public art education.