220. Former Site of Chen Yifei Studio in Tianzifang, Shanghai

Duration: 1 day Date: December Average Cost: 50 yuan per person Company: Spouse Activities: Free tra[...]

Duration: 1 day
Date: December

Average Cost: 50 yuan per person
Company: Spouse
Activities: Free travel, walking, weekend trip

Published on January 23, 2022, at 21:20

Chen Yifei, a famous Chinese oil painter from Zhenhai, Ningbo, began to create art with the concept of great art after traveling to the United States in 1980, becoming a renowned Chinese artist. He defined himself as a visual artist, saying, “I paint, make movies, design clothes, and now I run media.” Unfortunately, he passed away at a young age in 2005.

On the morning of December 18, 2021, while strolling through Tianzifang with my wife, we came across a sign indicating the ‘Former Studio of Chen Yifei’ at No. 2, Lane 210, Taikang Road. Upon entering, we found a large hall with a stone gate, featuring sculptures of beautiful women, oil paintings of Kunshan’s Double Bridge, sundial sculptures, and more, all of which were the creations of Chen Yifei.

The old Tianzifang neighborhood not only has stone gates and alleyway buildings but also industrial factories from the 20th century. During the neighborhood’s revitalization, the cultural and historical value of the old factories was fully excavated, preserving brick and stone walls, roof beam structures, and integrating modern facilities and equipment through artistic means.

In 1998, with the influx of cultural celebrities such as Chen Yifei and Er Dongqiang, the area attracted more and more cultural and art practitioners and enterprises, forming a creative industrial park. According to the plaque on the wall, this place was the Haihua Leather Factory in 1935 and the carpentry workshop of the Food Industry Machinery Factory in 1958.

On the wall hung ‘Yifei’s Record’ written by Yu Qiuyu: ‘He once moved the world with China’s beauty.’ In 1985, Chen Yifei’s oil painting ‘Bridge’ was selected by the United Nations as the first-day cover, and ‘Double Bridge’ was given as a gift to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping by the chairman of the American Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Armand Hammer, during his visit to China.

The painting ‘Eastern Girl’ was inspired by the encouragement of his wife and reflects Chen Yifei’s profound understanding and unique interpretation of Eastern and Western art: the girl gently shakes a folding fan, carries a birdcage, and slightly raises her forehead, walking gracefully from the old Shanghai alleyways, blending romance and realism to jointly interpret the beauty of Chinese and Western art.

I transcribed a quote from Mr. Yifei: ‘I have always been optimistic and excited; it doesn’t matter what happens. Just like traveling, sunny weather is good, but sudden rain also has its charm. Complaining about the rain and not enjoying the trip, why bother?’ (646 words)

On December 19, 2021, at 18:39, I posted on WeChat and received 146 likes and 13 comments: Luo commented, ‘A painting of a lady playing the flute seems to be the work of Zhou Junmin from Suzhou.’ I replied, ‘Really? All the paintings here are by Chen Yifei.’
Zhuang: It is said that Zhouzhuang became famous after Chen Yifei discovered it during a sketching trip and introduced it to the world. In gratitude, the people of Zhouzhuang have built a museum in his honor. I follow: It was actually the Suzhou painter Yang Mingyi who discovered and recommended it to Chen Yifei. Li: Shanghai is also my second hometown, as my grandparents are from Shanghai. Tang: The last paragraph about travel experiences is in your style, embracing the unexpected. Gu: Traveling alone, immersing oneself in the surroundings, the beauty of the scenery is on the journey. The purpose of travel is to listen to one’s own voice, enrich one’s inner self, not for restlessness, but to embrace the unexpected.