As the veins of the city, Beijing hutongs have witnessed the passage of time and the vicissitudes of history. Being not only a complex of buildings, but a carrier of culture, they contain the lifestyles, values and spiritual aspiration of old Beijing.

In the long river of time, Beijing hutongs have lain there like sparkling pearls, stringing together the historical memories and humanistic feelings of this ancient city. "Memories of a Historical City – Artworks on the Theme of Beijing’s Hutongs", co-hosted by the NCPA and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), is designed to further reveal the historical background, cultural connotations and aesthetic value of hutongs from an artistic perspective.

The exhibition is a dialogue across time and space. It’s also another artistic practice carried out by the NCPA and the CAFA. As strategic partners, we have jointly organised this project themed "Beijing Hutong" to encourage artists to paint from life creatively by recording the historical and contemporary looks of the ancient capital Beijing with their painting brushes.

The project has received enthusiastic participation from more than 150 students and teachers of the CAFA. Finally chosen for the exhibition are over 300 exhibits including those by more than 80 students from the CAFA and those by more than 130 artists who have long focused on depicting Beijing hutongs, especially pictures of Beijing cityscapes drawn by the veteran artists including YAN Wenliang, LIU Haisu, WU Zuoren, GU Yuan, ZHOU Lingzhao, DAI Ze, JIN Zhilin, etc., making it one of the largest hutong-themed exhibitions held in recent years.

Date: from 22 December 2024 to 16 March 2025

Venue: West Exhibition Hall, NCPA 

Photo by: NCPA