Central Axis gets all lacquered up

A large-scale lacquer painting titled Eternal Central Axis was unveiled at the Zhengyangmen Gate in Beijing on Nov 22.

The unveiling ceremony was jointly hosted by the Beijing Central Axis Protection Foundation and the Zhengjia Charity Foundation, and co-organized by the Beijing Central Axis Conservation Center and the Shen Shao'an Lacquer Art Museum in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

The painting is 5.6 meters wide and 7.8 meters tall, and symbolizes the 7.8-kilometer Beijing Central Axis and the unity of China's 56 ethnic groups. It is shaped like an open book and integrates a 600-year-old star map from the collection of the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum.

"This is not just a work of art. It is a celebratory piece marking the Beijing Central Axis being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. More importantly, it is a powerful example of Chinese lacquer artistry to the world," said Lin Zhengjia, director of the lacquer painting project, and founder of the Shen Shao'an Lacquer Art Museum.

At the ceremony, Hong Kong actress Kara Wai, seal engraving artist Xu Chengtao, and Beijing Shangchengshi Cultural Media were given honorary certificates for their support of cultural initiatives related to the Beijing Central Axis.

The event also included the donation of two paintings, and the start of a scroll painting by Liu Yuyi, themed on the heritage site.