Chung Chung Chuan, an artist who uses Danqing's magic brush to connect the cultural ties between Malaysia and China. In his pen, Nanyang ink painting is no longer a regional concept, but has formed a cultural concept of the Nanyang ink painting school.
As the founder of the Malaysian Ink Painting Association, for more than 30 years, he has worked tirelessly and carried out hundreds of artistic creations and "Belt and Road" cultural exchange activities between Malacca, Malaysia and the mainland of the motherland, and is known as the "Qi Baishi of Malaysia".
Zhong Zhengchuan was born in Malacca, Malaysia, to parents who immigrated to Malaysia from China in the 1920s. His father was a famous chess master in Malacca at that time and loved the art of calligraphy. Under the influence of his father, Zhong Zhengchuan entered the world of art very early.
"When I was five years old, I entered the school with my brother who was the principal to receive Chinese education, and I was exposed to classical literature since the third year of primary school. The education of my family and the influence of traditional Chinese culture have laid the foundation for my feelings for China and my sense of belonging to the Chinese nation since I was a child. Zhong Zhengchuan said.
In order to let people in Southeast Asia and even the world see the excellence and uniqueness of Chinese culture. Beginning in 1970, Chung Set up two academies in Kuala Lumpur to teach Chinese painting, training thousands of students, and in 2000 became the only art professor at a Malaysian university to teach Chinese painting.
Zhong Zhengchuan's work: "Nine Rutu"
Since the reform and opening up 30 years ago, Zhong Zhengchuan has come to China several times. "In the early 1990s, as an overseas artist, I was invited to the Chinese Painting Institute for cultural exchanges and successfully held a solo exhibition in Beijing. Since then, he has re-established contact with his father's often mentioned mother country, including holding several solo exhibitions later, bringing many calligraphers and painters to visit and investigate, and conducting cultural exchange exhibitions with various provinces. Zhong Zhengchuan said, "I have traveled all over the provinces of Chinese mainland, from Harbin in the north, Tibet in the west, southern Xinjiang, and northern Xinjiang... The magnificent mountains and rivers have left a deep impression on me, what I have seen and heard has increased the inspiration of creation, which has a great influence on me, and I have expressed various feelings in my works, making my paintings more fulfilling and rich. These were the most important experiences of my life. ”
Zhong Zhengchuan's work: "Nanyang Jiaguo"
Over the decades, Zhong Zhengchuan has traveled the world to create a lot, but the subject of his creation has never left the motherland, his heart has never left, and his painting emotions have never left his homeland.
In Zhong Zhengchuan's works, it is possible to intuitively feel the mutual infiltration and mutual integration of the two cultures of China and Malaysia. He uses Danqing magic brush to connect the cultural ties between Malaysia and China, and his ink paintings contain the "god, rhyme, qi and taste" of Chinese painting, and the painting style has both oriental charm and Nanyang style. His works are diverse in subject matter, most of which are based on rural fields, simple and unpretentious, but full of charm.
Zhong Zhengchuan's work: "Who Speaks Inches of Grass"
From a child with weeping hair to a weeping old man, Zhong Zhengchuan integrated his love for life in his hometown into his pen. Whether it is chickens and ducks, herons and birds, grass and trees, fish and insects, from his pen, we feel the ordinaryness of life and the tenacity of living beings, and at the same time we will realize the sincerity of Elder Zhong's original heart.
(All images in this article are provided by the interviewee)
Editor-in-charge: Jia Tingyi