Decorated with love: wall art painted by ZJU artists

As the renovation of the Yuquan Campus Yishantang first-floor restaurant nears completion, a vibrant large-scale oil painting adorns the wall - depicting a year-round view of the campus, weaving through day and night scenes in the Qiu Shi Garden. This is the first collective creation attempt by the Zhejiang University Oil Painting Association since its establishment, completed by eight Zhejiang University faculty members over a span of two weeks.

The mural measures 2.8 meters in height, 6.5 meters in width, with the highest point over 3 meters from the ground.

The selection of the mural's content became the initial topic of discussion for the Oil Painting Association, given the large size of the painting and its placement in a dining space frequented by students and faculty. After several revisions, the consensus was reached to depict "painting for the campus."

Due to limited wall space, the members of the Oil Painting Association chose five campus scenes as the foundation for the painting. Scenes of dawn at Huajiachi, morning light at Yuquan noon at Zijingang, evening at Xixi, and nightfall at Zhijiang were interconnected by time and season, resulting in a five-part mural. Zong Ye, the president of the Oil Painting Association, stated, "We are eager to showcase the beauty of the campus and demonstrate the spirit of Zhejiang University through our artwork. I am also working with others to create more pieces for other campuses, such as the clock tower in Haining and the lighthouse in Zhoushan."

The participants in the painting are faculty members from various departments and units of the university, including the College of Computer Science and Technology, the Architectural Design and Research Institute, the Institute of Technology Transformation, and the University Hospital. Many of them were novices in painting but became enthusiasts through oil painting training courses organized by the university's trade union or administrative party committee. "Although we are 'amateur' painters, with enthusiasm and determination, we believe we can create something great." said HU Haihong, a teacher from the School of Pharmacy.

The opportunity to use a blank wall for this painting arose during the renovation of the Yishantang. Based on the existing building structure, Professor LU Ji from the Architectural Design and Research Institute led the design work - aiming to transform the previously dim dining environment into a warm and bright space. With the support of the Logistics Group's Food Center, this wall became an "imaginary utopia", seamlessly integrating the beautiful scenery of Qiu Shi Garden and the collective participation of Zhejiang University members into the architectural space.

LU Ji is emotionally attached to every blade of grass, every brick, and every tile on the campus. He once collaborated with his mentor, SHEN Jihuang, in designing the Chemistry Experiment Center building at Zijingang Campus. Subsequently, he led the design of the Construction Group - where the red brick clock tower is located. When the construction of the Zijingang West Campus began, he also designed the Humanities and Social Sciences Group, among others. Having left many architectural design works in Qiu Shi Garden, he also hopes to provide more people with the opportunity to participate in campus environment construction, becoming witnesses to the campus and collectively preserving the memories of Zhejiang University members.

"I got to know LU Ji ten years ago during the construction of the Humanities and Social Sciences Group at Zijingang West Campus." These two art enthusiasts also met by chance in this serendipitous encounter. For the other initiator of this painting project, REN Zongye, who is also the Deputy Director of the Zijingang Campus Management Committee, her deep affection for the university has been unwavering since she entered the school in 1986. Focusing on campus cultural construction and creating a beautiful Qiu Shi Garden has always been her consistent goal both inside and outside of work.

As the first president of the Zhejiang University Oil Painting Association, she has more ideas to explore, such as organizing an oil painting exhibition with the theme of Beautiful Campus. Through her active promotion, many faculty members have already engaged in creating oil paintings featuring Zhejiang University campus themes.

Images below are some oil paintings of the campus created by faculty members as part of their daily hobbies. Can you recognize where each painting depicts?