The exhibition to be on view at Hall A of Lijia Intelligent Park from August 27, 2021 to August 21, 2022 (Picture provided by the organizer)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- When the national treasure of the painting of Northern Song Dynasty is combined with digital technology, it presents an enchanting spectacle. Recently, as an important part of the 2021 Smart China Expo, the opening ceremony of “A Dream Journey through a Panorama of Rivers and Mountains - Forbidden City Immersive Art Exhibition” was held at Lijia Intelligent Park. On the site, Phoenix Digital Technology and Chongqing Liangjiang Industry Group conducted a project signing ceremony, and Phoenix Liangjiang Digital Art Center was officially landed in Chongqing.

The exhibition integrates A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains of the Northern Song Dynasty, a national treasure in the Palace Museum, with digital technology. It uses digital projection, virtual images and interactive capturing to create interaction between the artwork and audience, interweaving traditional cultural elements with contemporary art design to form an innovative cultural experience space, fully reflecting the theme of the Smart China Expo – “Smart Technology: Empowering Economy, Enriching Life”.

The exhibition will be displayed at Hall A of Lijia Intelligent Park from August 27, 2021 to August 21, 2022.

Interview with Guan Qi, Vice President and General Manager of Beijing Palace Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (Picture provided by the organizer)

Highlight: Digital technology brings the beauty of the painting to life as you “enter” A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains

Inside the Hall, light and shadows change with each footstep, and the dynamic digital scroll of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, 26 meters in length and 5 meters in height, flows on the wall. It is introduced that featuring the world’s first high-definition dynamic digital scroll with real-time layered rendering core technology and a time-shifting system, it combines traditional art and digital technology to give the audience a majestic experience of “dynamic” A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.

The exhibition also draws on iconic urban elements of Chongqing, such as Hongyadong, the Yangtze River Bridge and Monorail Passing through the Building, and blends them with the natural beauty of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains to create a fabulous urban fantasy.

The painting with spectacle (Picture provided by the organizer)

Exhibition: 8 exhibition areas, 16 creative items and exhibition space of over 2,000 square meters

The exhibition is the inaugural project for the “A Dream Journey through a Panorama of Rivers and Mountains - Forbidden City Immersive Art Exhibition”, co-organized by Phoenix Satellite Television, the Palace Museum and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Management Committee.

The exhibition, which will last for one year, is divided into eight exhibition areas, including the “Cultural Gallery” and the “Painting World”, with 16 creative exhibition items including sensory experiences, immersive interactions, art installations and spatial landscapes, as well as a projection area of over 1,000 square meters and an exhibition space of over 2,000 square meters, creating a feast for the senses of Eastern aesthetics.

Yan Hongbin, Vice President of the Palace Museum and General Manager of the Palace Press, said the exhibition uses digital technology to activate traditional culture, incorporating local cultural elements and digital technology interactive projects in Chongqing based on the heirloom painting A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, providing an innovative development and creative interpretation of the national treasure. It is hoped that the exhibition will provide a new scene for the “Smart Life of the Day” in the Liangjiang New Area and bring a high-quality cultural and artistic experience to the people of Chongqing.

Painting Theater (Picture provided by the organizer)

Background: Chongqing is a smart city associated with this painting

Why is A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains being digitalized? Why did it land in Chongqing? At the opening ceremony, Guan Qi, Vice President and General Manager of Beijing Palace Culture Communication Co., Ltd., was interviewed by journalists to give a detailed background.

“Nowadays, people are interested in cultural relics. The Palace Museum once staged a big exhibition, bringing out half of the master paintings and calligraphy, including A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains and Along the River During the Qingming Festival. At that time, it caused a great sensation and people had to queue for six or seven hours to view it. The paintings have been in existence for thousands of years, however, and their high conservation requirements make them extremely difficult for audience to view.” Guan Qi said that by using digital development, people can see the precious collections in the Palace Museum anytime and anywhere, which is also a form of communication.

On International Museum Day in 2019, the Palace Museum developed its first digital exhibition, Along the River During the Qingming Festival. In less than five months, some 1.4 million people visited it by appointment form. “It is clear from this that the audience is interested in this pattern. It breaks away from the traditional exhibition pattern and can be seen without having to go to a museum.”

In the view of Guan Qi, young people in particular enjoy this interactive experience. In traditional exhibitions, it is difficult for visitors to see the full paintings, but they are clearer digitally. Many of the details in the paintings, including the characters and seasons, are clearer than the artefacts as they are. There are also many digital interactive aspects that give a sense of the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty. For example, when you flick your hand, the fish and water in the painting will move, which is something that you cannot experience on previous visits.

It is learned that Chongqing is the first destination in the Mainland for the digital exhibition A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains 3.0. Why was Chongqing chosen? Guan Qi describes it as “destiny”, as Chongqing, a city of mountains and rivers, with the theme of “A Tour in Chongqing, a Gain in Vision”, is a perfect match for the theme of the exhibition. Chongqing is also a smart city, and this exhibition is a vivid blend of culture and art with digital technology, which also fits in with the development of the city.

According to the agreement previously signed between Phoenix Digital Technology, the Palace Press and the Liangjiang Industry Group for the landing of the Rotation Exhibition of Two Paintings, after the exhibition of A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains 3.0, Along the River During the Qingming Festival 3.0, which is currently on a nationwide view, will also come to Liangjiang New Area, where viewers will be able to see a digital presentation of the painting with a sense of life and storytelling. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)