On April 23, 2022, the “20th Session of the Forum Organized by Beijing Publishing Group (BPG) on World Book and Copyright Day” with the theme of “reading together from books on art” was held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). The Forum has a history of 20 years since it was launched by BPG in 2003. It was also the first time that the Forum took place at the NCPA, a state-level cultural palace. The event was live-streamed on the official website of NCPA and other online platforms.
Writers, artists, experts and scholars were invited to spread knowledge about art and literature. It was from their speeches that the audiences nurtured their spirit and enjoyed the fun of reading. The Forum is intended to fuse publishing with art, and to guide people to embrace the new era of reading.
Art nourishes heart and literature nurtures soul
The distinguished guests invited to the Forum contributed their insights about the main ideas and profound connotations of “reading together from books on art.”
In his address, Wang Ning (secretary of the leading Party members’ group and president of NCPA) first stated the significance of the Forum.
According to Wang Ning, “reading together from books on art” symbolized the communication and clash between art and literature. Literary and artistic works have become companions to each other ever since the birth of human civilization. Carrying the richest creativity and imagination, these works powerfully express people’s emotions as well as their aesthetic sense.
Wang Ning said, “It is our great pleasure to jointly hold this session of the Forum along with BPG. From cross-disciplinary perspectives, the speeches made by guests further promote the dissemination of literature and art. We take delight in and get ourselves moved by reading books and enjoying arts, and help raise the awareness of reading among people.”
In his address, Kang Wei (secretary of the Party committee and chairperson of the Board of Directors of BPG) said that the 20th anniversary is a commemorative moment. “Reviewing the past 20 years, we have held the Forum with the cultural self-consciousness and responsibility of publishers. We have conducted themed activities in many libraries, museums, and classrooms of primary schools, secondary schools and universities, such as ‘A salute to master writers’, ‘Reading and science popularization’, ‘Reading a city named Beijing’ and ‘Reading by listening and reading.’ Readers at different age brackets derive much pleasure from reading through participating in these activities.”
Zheng Xinmiao (former curator of the Palace Museum) made comments on deep-rooted traditional Chinese culture from the perspective of cultural characteristics of poetry. According to him, “I have established a link with BPG since the 1960s when I was a secondary school student. I bought a book entitled Ten Lectures on Rules and Forms of Classical Poetic Composition, which was written by scholar Wang Li and published by Beijing Publishing House.” Zheng said that China is a country boasting a rich legacy of poetry. Renowned poets have emerged one after another and impressive achievements have been scored in the uninterrupted 3,000-year history of Chinese poetry starting from The Book of Songs.
When it comes to the initiative of launching a “national reading campaign”, Nie Zhenning (Chairperson of Taofen Foundation) said that the “national reading campaign” is of important significance and plays a critical role in developing a strong socialist culture in China and improving personal artistic taste. Building a nation of avid readers forms an important base for completing the development of a strong culture in China. In a nation of avid readers, books should be available anytime and anywhere to facilitate people to obtain help from reading. Even in an era characterized by wide application of information technology and fragmented reading experiences, people should still be encouraged to prioritize reading to obtain all-round development.”
Seek the sense of beauty and draw nourishment
The countless ties between stage performing art and literature remain an eternal topic.
In the interview, Pu Cunxin, a renowned performing artist, spoke about the relationship between stage performing art and literature as follows: “The ultimate pursuit of writers and artists is beauty. The functions of literature are to convey the beauty of thinking to people and to enable people to master the technique of observing beauty and ugliness. Drama emerged from literature. As drama professionals, we should regard conveying literary flavor as our task of primary importance.” He particularly mentioned his fortunate participation in the performance of the new version of drama Thunderstorm in 2021. He said he became awakened to many new ideas when reading the 1934 version of the drama script of Thunderstorm, feeling as if he had found a new continent.
In the interview, Pu Cunxin mentioned that he became awakened to many new ideas when reading the 1934 version of the drama script of Thunderstorm, feeling as if he had found a new continent.
Wan Fang, a well-known writer and playwright, expounded the relationship between drama creation and reading. She said: “Drama and reading each has its own charisma. The charisma of drama lies in the face-to-face communication between people. When we enter the theatre, we will breathe along with all performers in the same space, and get ourselves involved in the happenings on the stage.”
Wan Fang believed that literary works usually represent the creative results of a person when he or she is isolated from others. A playwright needs to draw nourishment from reading. A person can achieve a sound mental state, improve healthy development and promote self-realization through reading.
Enjoying pictures is as important as reading written words.
The distinguished guests also clearly stated the idea that enjoying pictures is as important as reading written words.
Li Geng, president of Li Keran Academy of Painting, spoke about the relationship between calligraphic works, paintings and literary works. He said, “When I was a kid, my father skillfully taught me how to read. I was taught to read pictures before reading written words. The feelings of enjoying pictures are of first importance.” Reading picture books such as A History of World Art, A History of Chinese Art and Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden exerted important impacts upon his life as well as his creations in later days. Li Geng suggested that children should be allowed to read some cartoons and scribble on paper. This is also an important way of reading.
Wu Hongliang, president of Beijing Fine Art Academy, spoke about how he drew inspirations from reading in his career of studying calligraphic and painting art by citing the example of reading Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden and conducting research into renowned artist Qi Baishi (1864–1957). He said, “It was through reading Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden that Qi Baishi stepped over the threshold of art. Qi Baishi created his own artistic style by putting into practice his theories and what he learned from Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden.” These are all examples of how excellent works can nourish the minds of artists.
The event was live-streamed or live-broadcasted on the websites of BPG and NCPA, as well as APPs such as Yangshipin, Douyin and Kuaishou, and videos on WeChat.
