Middle school students spend 129 days reproducing masterpiece "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains"

Students from a middle school in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, recently dedicated 129 days to crafting a breathtaking relief mural inspired by the renowned painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" by Wang Ximeng, an artist from China's Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

The mural was completed by 21 students from Changchun No. 150 Middle School, under the guidance of their teacher Duan Yingzi. It was created on the wall of the school's art classroom, measuring nearly 3.5 meters in height and 11 meters in total length.

Photo shows the artwork created by Duan and her students inspired by the Chinese masterpiece "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." (Photo/cctvnewscenter)

The mural showcases cliffside mountain roads, cascading waterfalls, and thatched cottages in vibrant colors, and its stunning beauty has captivated internet users.

According to the teacher, this mural is part of the school's special curriculum. The process of creation included drawing an outline, applying relief base colors, and then painting the final artwork. Most of the students involved in the creation of the mural had no prior painting experience.

"I outlined the basic shapes and the students added the details," explained Duan.

Photo shows a section of the artwork created by Duan and her students inspired by the Chinese masterpiece "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." (Photo/cctvnewscenter)

To make the process easier for the students, Duan deliberately opted for the relief form, which she found to be more manageable.

The teacher explained that the most demanding aspect of crafting this mural was the process of color mixing. "It took us slightly over a month to finish the outline and relief work, while the remaining two to three months were dedicated to perfecting the art of color mixing,” she said.

The original painting used mineral pigments, but for the relief mural, acrylic paints were required.

Duan explained, "Traditional Chinese painting pigments are suitable for painting on Xuan paper or silk, but they cannot be used for painting on walls. It was quite difficult to reproduce the colors of the mountains and rivers."

Photo shows a section of the artwork created by Duan and her students inspired by the Chinese masterpiece "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." (Photo/cctvnewscenter)

Duan and her students had to experiment and learn through trial and error. Although there were slight variations in color compared to the original painting, the students were still very pleased with the final outcome.

The teacher explained that reproducing the artwork allows the students to truly appreciate the charm of the original painting. She emphasized that previously, students could only see the artwork in books and were unable to fully experience its splendor. By drawing the painting, she believes that students can gain a deeper understanding of the ancient Chinese artist’s wisdom.

In a previous special curriculum offered by the school, Duan oversaw the students reproducing the Chinese masterpiece painting "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" using ballpoint pens.

Photo shows a section of the artwork created by Duan and her students inspired by the Chinese masterpiece "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains." (Photo/cctvnewscenter)