1.
Inscriptions of the Yellow River and the Loess Handed down on the World
--To Commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts Xiaoyang Yang

On the Three-Qin ground, there is a golden autumn right now. Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, comes from remote antiquity with the Yellow River, and seethes with excitement here. Today, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, who is at the same age as the People's Republic of China, welcomes her prosperous fiftieth anniversary.

In 1949, with Chairman Mao's declaration of the founding of the People's Republic of China, School of Art of Northwest Military and Political College, predecessor of Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, was founded by General He Long, who held the post of first president.

In the past fifty years, this palace of art, which existed on the Loess Plateau, assimilated the rich nutriment of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang Dynasties for her favorable geographical position, handed down the past brilliant achievements of the literature and art in Yan'an, Chang' an painting school and the loess painting school, and enhanced the achievements to a new height. Builders of several generations, with the sense of responsibility for society and the sense of historical mission, shared a common fate with the northwest people, constantly according to the gist of the Sppech of the Forum on literature and Art in Yan'an; practised and explored the essense of art; observed and recorded the changes of the people who lived on the loess; produced a lot of excellent works, which reflected the northwest life, especially the works of the Loess Plateau and of the thirteen years in Yan'an, Which added a splendid page in the Chinese arts' history.

Since the reform and opening, with the efforts of several generations of leaders, we have fulfilled the task of moving the old campus and building the new one after years of hard work. We have obtained remarkable achievements in all fields such as administration, opening to the outside world, strengthening the basic education and encouraging creation. And we have also made a great progress in the aspects of training teachers and of teaching and studying.
The past fifty years' efforts are very moving us to song and tears; the past fifty years' teaching has brought us many excellent students; the past fifty years' excellent works of art are so innumerable that our academy feels no qualms upon the thousand-year-old ancient capital and the great period!

Recalling the past and comparing it with present, there were many hardships of creation and struggle, many joys of obtaining achievements, more scenes of joys tempered with sorrow, and more stories of pressing for tears……, A great number of young men with hearts of absolute sincerity of dedicating themselves to the service of our country with art stepped into Xingguo Ancient Temple, the old campus of academy then, but now, after fifty years, their black hair has turned white before they can finish the cause. A great number of the older generations, who burnt themselves to lighten others, cullivated talents here without any complaints for several decades, but now, at the time of the fiftieth anniversary of our mother academy, they've already passed away. What a pity! Now, we can only express our profound respects and regrets to them through summing up their brilliant achievements, carrying on their glorious cause and studying their great spirits of imparting knowledge and educating students.

The Yellow River originated here, and the loess accumulates here.

After exploring of more than eighty years, at the turning point of the centuries, how to cultivate the art education with Chinese distinctive national features, and how to build our academy with northwest features are the problems which every artist and educationist is contemplating. We must observe Shaanxi in the point of whole country and the world. Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts should make full use of her advantages in history and region, unearth and value northwest specialties, carry on the past and open a way for future with her special style and features, enter tomorrow. Today, our academy will bid farewell to the past and step out the region. Taking carrying on and producing the arts for all the humanity as her responsibility, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts will bare her breast to welcome the coming new century!

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Central Academy of Fine Arts:

The predecessor of it was the National Beijing School of Fine Arts founded in April 1918. The Central Academy of Fine Arts was founded in April 1950. It has the departments of oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, printing, sculpture, mural painting, folk arts, and art history and the institute of sculptural research. The school can grant doctor's and master's degrees in Chinese art history and master's degrees in sculpture, traditional Chinese painting, printing, stratagem series, and New Year painting. It publishes two journals: Research of Fine Arts and World Art. There are 150 full-time teachers in the school, including 19 professors, 63 associate professors and 33 lecturers. The former presidents of the school are Xu Beihong, Wu Zuoren, Jiang Feng, and Gu Yuan. The present president is Jing Shangyi. Address: #2 Wanhong Xijie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. Post code: 100015.

3.

College of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University
(the former Central College of Arts and Crafts):

It was founded in 1956 and is a comprehensive higher education institution of multiple disciplines and levels with a unity of teaching, research and design. There is a department of dyeing and weaving design (including majors in dyeing and weaving design, weaving and embroidering design, and clothing design), a department of ceramics design, a department of decoration design, a department of book arts, a department of environmental arts (including a major in interior decoration and furniture decoration), a department of industrial design, a department of decoration arts (including a majors in metal crafts, decorative painting and decorative sculpture), a department of the history of arts and crafts,an institute of environmental arts research and design, and an institute of arts and crafts research. The school publishes one magazine Decoration, and two journals: Reference to Arts and Crafts, and Journal of College of Fine Arts. It has 700 students (including doctoral students, masters students, undergraduates, community students, foreign students, and night school students) at present and a staff of 570, among which 16 are professors, 66 are associate professors and 74 are lecturers. The former principals are Deng Jie and Zhang Ding. The present principal is Chang Shana. Address: #34 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China. Post code: 100020.