On April 22, 2023, Du Qun, Secretary of the General Party Branch and Deputy Curator of ZJAM, went to Zhenzhong Village (a village in the Gansi scenic area), Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing, for the unveiling ceremony of Gansi • Demonstration Rural Art Museum and the Exhibition of Works by Famous Chinese Ink Painters • International Contemporary Art Exchange Exhibition.

Zhenzhong Village (a village in the Gansi scenic area), with beautiful scenery and diverse cultures, is located in a 3A-grade scenic area in Zhejiang Province and hosted a variety of art activities. Preparations are underway for building it into a model village of fine arts education. It is also home to the first rural art museum in Jiaxing and the first international art center in Xiuzhou District. This achievement will benefit the people, artistically support rural revitalization, and mark a new journey of international cooperation in the construction of the model villages of fine arts education in Zhejiang Province.

The ceremony was also attended by Xu Afeng, member of the Party Committee, and Han Yue, Director of the Art Department of Jiaxing Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Film and Tourism; Dong Jiali, member of the Standing Committee and Director of the Propaganda Department of Xiuzhou District in Jiaxing; Shan Zhenhua, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Xiuzhou District in Jiaxing; Ling Jiachun, Curator of the Jiaxing Art Museum; and Paolo Sabbatini, a spokesman for the Italian Public and Cultural Diplomacy and an expert in international public relations and governmental affairs. Secretary Du Qun, Director Dong Jiali and Paolo Sabbatini delivered speeches for the event respectively.

Secretary Du Qun quoted the No.1 Document issued by the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government this year as it instructed the government to implement the project of “Culture and Art Empowerment” and construct a number of model villages of fine arts education. She also said that the construction of such villages is the construction of fine arts education bases in villages. The establishment of Gansi • Rural Art Museum today is a vivid practical example for the implementation of the instructions of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government and represents an outcome and witness of common prosperity in Zhejiang Province. The “Model Villages of Fine Arts Education” in Zhejiang Province is the first government-led exploratory practice project of “empowering villages with art and realizing common prosperity through fine arts education” and a public welfare project implemented by ZJAM to provide public cultural services. Du Qun hoped that this unveiling ceremony will be the start for ZJAM to move the project of “Model Villages of Fine Arts Education”, along with more of its fine arts resources, into Gansi, so that the villagers in Gansi can enjoy high-quality art feasts at their doorsteps.

After the event was ended, Secretary Du Qun also visited Gutang Village, the first model village of fine arts education in Zhejiang Province, in Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing City, to offer field guidance. She also visited the Stove Painting Research Center and had a discussion with Wang Chunlin, Deputy Secretary of the Gutang Village Committee. She affirmed the achievements in fine arts education that have been made in the village in recent years and encouraged the village to carry forward the unique art of stove painting and to strengthen its fine arts branding.