Source：China Songzhuang 2026-10-16

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, the monumental ink scroll "Tales of the Grand Canal", created by artists from Songzhuang, is on show at the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing. The exhibition runs until November 1, 2026. Visitors are welcome to embark on a millennium-spanning cultural journey along the Grand Canal.

Six Artists Jointly Create the Scroll

"Tales of the Grand Canal" is led by Yu Yonghua, co-created with Yao Youchong, Ye Yongfu, Liu Ying, Wu Hao and Zuo Tie over five years. Most artists are from the Songzhuang Art Zone. With brush and ink, they add a magnificent chapter to the cultural development of Beijing Municipal Administrative Center.

Nearly 200 meters long and 1.45 meters high, the scroll consists of 43 connected ink paintings. Each piece tells a canal story, weaving together the human epic of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It depicts canal-side landscapes across six provinces and municipalities: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

The Canal, and the People Along Its Banks

Breaking from traditional landscape-focused painting, the series adopts a humanistic perspective, depicting daily life, trade and ordinary folks along the waterway. Trackers, boatmen, merchants and children populate the scroll, forming a comprehensive visual chronicle of canal people's lives.

Songzhuang Artists Inject Contemporary Vitality into the Ancient Canal

This artistic gift for the 10th anniversary is a vivid example of Songzhuang's art community integrating into the cultural construction of the BMC. Rooted locally, Songzhuang artists explore the Grand Canal heritage via ink scrolls and tell Tongzhou's canal stories, reviving the millennium-old culture and bringing artistic energy to the city.

Exhibition Info

Exhibition Title: "Glory of Past and Present: Grand Canal in Prosperous Times" — Themed Exhibition for the 16th Songzhuang Culture and Art Season (“古今同辉・盛世运河” 暨第十六届宋庄文化艺术季主题作品展)

Venue: B1 Floor, Grand Canal Museum of Beijing (East Branch of Capital Museum)

Opening Ceremony: 3 p.m., October 19

Duration: Until November 1, 2026

A decade of transformation, an enduring cultural legacy. As the nearly 200-meter scroll unfolds, we witness not only the canal's past and present, but also the mutual bond between a city and its civilization.