Super Hot Cross-Border Art Exhibition! Freeze the Thousand-Year Charm of Shaanxi Shehuo!

Intangible cultural heritage carries a sincere cultural lineage, light and shadow freeze-frame the spirit of the times, and ink and brush capture the essence of mountains and rivers. Recently, “The Breath of the Earth — Liu Qiang’s Documentary Photography and Calligraphy Fusion Exhibition” officially opened at the Art Museum of Xi’an University of Arts and Sciences’ Gaoxin Campus. The exhibition creatively combines intangible cultural heritage art, calligraphy, and photography into one, offering viewers a visual feast while infusing Xi’an, a historic and cultural city, with fresh humanistic vitality.

Rooted in the customs and traditions of the Three Qin region, this exhibition delves into grassroots documentary creation. Drawing on years of frontline fieldwork and news gathering, it captures the diverse facets of the era’s development and records the landscape of rural life through a professional lens. With over two decades of creative immersion at the grassroots level, Liu Qiang’s works seamlessly blend the authenticity of news reporting, the vitality of the times, and the emotional resonance of artistic expression. Rejecting flashy presentations, he stays true to his original intent of grounding his work in the yellow earth and staying close to the people, faithfully preserving the human stories and historical changes of the Three Qin region.

The series of Long County Shehuo-themed works is one of the highlights of this exhibition. Liu Qiang has deeply immersed himself in the local culture of Long County, tirelessly capturing scenes from dawn to dusk. He followed the Shehuo parade team throughout the entire process, recording real-life footage. The exhibited works vividly recreate the folk spectacle of Long County Shehuo—the colorful traditional masks, the thunderous folk drums, the enthusiastic glow in the crowd’s eyes, and the spirited demeanor of the intangible cultural heritage inheritors—all brought to life through the lens. Without any filter embellishment or staged poses, these pure and simple documentary images unlock the spirit of this millennium-old folk tradition, vividly showcasing the unique charm and profound heritage of the intangible cultural heritage folk customs on the land of Sanqin.

Photo courtesy: Xi’an Photographers Association

In terms of artistic creation, this exhibition achieves an innovative breakthrough by pioneering a new art form that blends documentary photography with calligraphy by renowned artists. The exhibition specially invited the chairman of the Xi’an Calligraphers Association and seven distinguished literary and artistic figures from Shaanxi Province to compose poems and writings tailored to each displayed documentary photograph. The realistic power of intangible cultural heritage documentary images and the elegant charm of traditional ink calligraphy interweave and complement each other, capturing the beauty of rural intangible heritage through the lens while elevating the cultural spirit through brushwork. This deepens the cultural richness of the works and sharpens their spiritual essence, achieving a profound mutual enhancement between folk documentary art and traditional calligraphy.

Photo/Xi’an Photographers Association

⏰️ Exhibition Time

From now until the end of May. For specific exhibition dates, follow the official accounts of “Xi’an University of Arts and Sciences” and “Xi’an Photographers Association” for details.

📌 Exhibition Venue

School of Fine Arts and Design, Xi’an University of Arts and Sciences (Gaoxin Campus)

Welcome to all citizens and art enthusiasts

to the Multi-Function Hall of the School of Fine Arts and Design

at Xi’an University of Arts and Sciences (Gaoxin Campus)

to visit and check in

Immersively experience the charm of Sanqin intangible cultural heritage

and enjoy cross-border artistic styles!

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Xi’an Culture & Tourism compiled from

Qianfang+ Client, Shaanxi Photographers Association

Editor | Liu Yuewen Visual | Liu Yuewen Proofreader | Liu Jiameng

Reviewer | Yang Haoyu Chief Reviewer | Yang Haixiong