Wulin Academy of Arts


The Wulin Academy of Arts is an independent institution for Chinese arts and culture studies, located on the shores of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. It was founded in 1995 but, with antecedents dating back to the Southern Song Dynasty.

History

From the 1980s, a group of artists and scholars from China Academy of Art, Zhejiang University, Nankai University and Xiling Seal Art Society had discussed the idea of forming an independent institution for Chinese arts and culture studies that echoes to the Imperial Art Academy founded by Emperor Gaozong 800 years ago on the lakeside of Wulin, and also, reconnecting to the Wulin School that founded in the Ming Dynasty by Lan Ying.
In 1995, The Dazhen Institute of Chinese Studies was established at the ruins of the Imperial Library of Wenlan on the island of Solitary Hill as the predecessor of Wulin Academy.
In 1997, the archaeological excavation at the Imperial Library of Wenlan began and the Institute moved out, cooperated with the Government of Gongshu District and became Hushu Society of Arts. In the same year, members of Dazhen institute dismissed HSA and established Meilan Society of Arts for independence. The influence of MSA had grown for rebuilding the disintegrated tradition of Chinese art since the havoc of the New Culture Movement in mid 1910s and ten years' Cultural Revolution. In 2000 the government cancelled the MSA's license for 'political' reasons to suppress on independent studies and many of its members fled to Europe and America for extrication.
The MSA reconstituted on May 2002 and renamed to Wulin Academy of Arts. In 2006, the academy relocated to the shores of West Lake where its first institute was established.

Activities