History emerges from the archives

Mirror to the Future: Chinese Basic Art Education Literature Exhibition (1904-2024) opened at The First Historical Archives of China in Beijing on Wednesday.

Organized in conjunction with the Beijing Normal University, the exhibition contains 1,359 items of archive material and literature that trace the development of fine arts education in China, explore the shared experiences of several generations, and offer insight into the development of contemporary education.

Over the course of last 120 years, since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) government issued a document on the educational system in 1904, fine arts education has been introduced to primary and middle schools.

This exhibition takes educational policies, curricula, and standards as its main threads, with textbooks, teaching aids, references, and teaching materials as the primary focus. Supplementary materials include teaching plans, schedules, and student assignments.

Wang Hongyun, director of the archives, said the exhibition presents a comprehensive overview of the 120-year history of China's basic fine arts education, from the early exploratory stages, through the tumultuous development in the middle period, to innovative developments in the new era.

He expressed the hope for the further exploration of collaborative models between archival departments and universities, allowing historical, cultural, and aesthetic resources in archives to be more deeply integrated into the field of education.