On June 12, 2026, China Cultural Center in Copenhagen hosted lecture “Guardians of Cultural Heritage: Jiaxing in Chinese Landscape Paintings”. Centering on Jiahe Scenery, the masterpiece by Wu Zhen, a renowned painter born in Jiaxing during the Yuan Dynasty, the event combined academic lectures, poetry recitals, traditional Chinese music performances and calligraphy interactions. Through stories of this distinctive city, it vividly presented the millennium-long inheritance of Chinese cultural heritage to the Danish audience.
The lecture was delivered by Dr. Wen Jingchao from Zhejiang University. Starting with the landscape paintings of Wu Zhen (1280–1354), a great master of the Yuan Dynasty, Dr. Wen elaborated on the painter’s reclusive life. Wu Zhen declined official positions all his life and expressed his inner feelings through paintings of mountains and rivers. The lecture also interpreted his iconic work Eight Scenic Spots of Jiaxing, which embodies his deep affection for his hometown. It further told the legendary story of Xiang Yuanbian, a prominent collector in Jiaxing during the Ming Dynasty. Xiang devoted his entire fortune to establishing the Tianlai Pavilion to preserve scattered artworks. The event fully showcased the profound tradition of enduring cultural heritage and generational inheritance in China.
Beyond a conventional lecture format, the event integrated academic sharing with artistic performances to convey the essence of Chinese culture. Poet Xu Jiumei and performer Li Motong presented traditional ci poem singing and poetry recitals, bringing the enchanting scenery of the Jiangnan region to the stage and allowing guests to experience the unique charm of Chinese culture.
During the interactive session, the instructors invited the Danish audience to get hands-on with calligraphy and appreciate exquisite cultural and creative products. Participants gained a close-up experience of the fine traditions of contemporary Chinese culture.
The venue was filled with a warm and engaging atmosphere, with in-depth exchanges throughout the event. Many Danish attendees said this was the first time they truly understood Chinese landscape paintings. Instead of merely learning about the art form on a superficial level, they discovered profound resonances between Chinese landscape art and Danish art they know well. A Danish national who once studied at Peking University commented: “This event makes me realize that art shares the same soul, whether it was created in Jiaxing, China in the 14th century, or in Copenhagen, Denmark in the 19th century.”
