Beautiful China: Fan Paintings from the China National Academy of Painting

Meridian International Center joined the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China National Academy of Painting to host Beautiful China: Fan Paintings from the China National Academy of Painting. Artists from the China National Academy of Painting created 44 fan paintings to convey the Chinese people’s pursuit of peace and goodwill with the United States.

Fan painting—a unique genre of Chinese art—originated from folding fans, which became popular in the Northern and Southern dynasties (420–589 CE), and matured stylistically during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). Over the centuries, these artworks emerged as a cultural symbol that melds functionality with the aesthetics of Chinese painting and calligraphy.

This project was part of Meridian’s American-Chinese Cultural Initiative, a public-private partnership between U.S. and Chinese businesses, non-profit cultural organizations, and government entities that strengthens and improves relations between the two nations.