There is an amazing place that exemplifies the aura of art in Chongqing – Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (abbreviated as SFAI below). Going there will fill your heart with “artistic spirit”. It’s not so much a university as a park. Every element of this college is designed to attract people’s attention.
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute
Established in 1940, it is the only art college in Southwestern China. There are two campuses of SFAI, one is at Huang Juping while the other one is at University City, Huxi, Shapingba District, covering 800,000m2. In 1959, SFAI became one of China’s five academies of art. In addition to SFAI, other four academies of art are – Central Academy of Fine Arts, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, China Academy of Art, and The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.
The museum consists of wastes
Luo Zhongli Art Museum is the largest museum for art in Chongqing. It was established in 2012 and construction completed in 2014. After the construction, it became the new landmark of University City.
The front gate of Luo Zhongli Art Museum
The museum contains three parts – Luo Zhongli Art Museum, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Art Museum, and the exhibition hall of Rent Collection Courtyard. The entire art museum covers 23,000m2, of which Luo Zhongli Art Museum covers 13,000m2. In addition, the art museum is a wall clam courtyard three or four storeys high (generally one storey is around 10 feet or 3 meters).
What's even more fascinating, the external wall of the art museum consists of waste. The museum purchased broken tiles from many different factories. Because of their uselessness, the cost of the wall is RMB 90/m2 (around USD 13/m2). Therefore, the wall is cost-saving and environment-friendly. Moreover, because it is one part of SFAI, more than 30 students participated in the construction at that time.
The beautiful external wall of the art museum
Meanwhile, there is a sculpture of David near Luo Zhongli Art Museum. It was sent by Galleria dell'Accademia, as a gift, on December 14, 2018. This is the first David sculpture in China and the fourth one in the world. It is eight meters high and weighs four tons, which is the same as the original one in Italy.
The gorgeous and colorful museum is full of fascinating, innovative, and fashionable art. Some people regard it as the most beautiful art museum in China.
David sculpture near the art museum
SFAI as a Chinese castle
Some people have dubbed SFAI as a Chinese castle because it has a “castle-style gate”, consisting of bricks, flagstones, crocks, and ceramic tiles. It is full of the aura of art and romance and is one of the most famous spots in University City. The man-made terraced fields are made of colorful ceramic tiles, attracting visitors to relax and enjoy the good weather while also enjoying an artistic atmosphere. When you walk through the terraced fields, you will immerse yourself into a world of color.
The "castle gate" of SFAI
In the center of the terraced fields, there is a ruler, named Ke Du, which means "the scale" in English. It was designed by Fang Lijun. The ruler is a reminder for teachers and students at SFAI. It represents the ruler in every artist’s heart. Every artist should never forget his or her dream, and never lose passion for art. Each artist and their artwork must survive time. As time goes by, dreams and passion will never fade away.
A park-like college
SFAI is not so much a university as a park. Teachers and students always like to enjoy college life there. Especially in spring, there will be many outdoor activities for students, for exercise or for entertainment. In addition to teachers and students, there are many other visitors who frequent SFAI during the weekend to relax.
Flowers inside the college, just like a park
Those interested in graffiti art will also enjoy certain spots around SFAI. Graffiti walls are widespread inside the college, on the teaching building, and even on the dining hall. These images were painted by students of SFAI. No matter how many new walls appear, students there will always be able to fill the blank spaces with their seemingly unlimited creativity and passion.
The college is also full of sculptures, big and small. Rent Collection Courtyard is where visitors can find original sculptures created in June 1956. There are many famous artworks of Social Realist sculpture groups, showing the class struggle in feudal society.