On October 19, 2025, in the clear and crisp late autumn of the Yisi Snake year, Hangzhou was adorned with serene waters and lush mountains, presenting a delightful and transparent scenery. The opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center was grandly held at Xixi Wetland. That morning, Shentankou at Xixi Wetland gathered distinguished guests, including the renowned contemporary painter, Mr. Dai Dunbang, nearly 90 years old, and important figures from the cultural and academic circles across the country. They came together to witness this significant cultural moment.
At the opening ceremony, a retrospective of Mr. Dai Dunbang’s artistic career and a collection of creative interviews allowed the audience to step in advance into the ancient, elegant, and profound classical literary world depicted by Mr. Dai.
Subsequently, a “Water Margin Show,” adapted from Dai Dunbang’s classic paintings, vividly displayed the classic characters and scenes from The Water Margin, instantly igniting the atmosphere.
Furthermore, Mr. Dai Dunbang donated to the Xihu District Government a collaborative work with the renowned Gongbi painter and his close disciple, Cheng Cheng: the thirty-seven-meter-long handscroll “Heroes of Liangshan.” This donation pays tribute to Hangzhou with exquisite artistry and a spirit of inheritance, continuing the classic cultural lineage of West Lake.
As the startup device was slowly activated, the Dai Dunbang Art Center officially opened to the public. The establishment of the Center deeply integrates the classical literary painting art of master painter Dai Dunbang with the historical and cultural context of Xixi Wetland, adding another important landmark for inheriting China’s excellent traditional culture in Hangzhou.
Six Major Exhibition Areas
Visitors can experience the classical humanistic art from Mr. Dai’s brushstrokes immersively, with the scenery changing at every step.
The Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center, meticulously planned and conceived, is divided into six sections in its exhibition space layout: the Water Margin Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, the Grand View Red Mansions Hall, the Ink Past and Present Multimedia Hall, the 108IN Art and Culture Space, Dai Dunbang’s Studio, and the 108 Heroes Art Corridor. The overall architecture incorporates the Chinese garden concept of “corridor-courtyard integration,” organically connecting five buildings and forming a complete courtyard compound. The overall architectural style features white walls and black tiles, with small bridges and flowing water, highly characteristic of the regional charm and humanistic特色 (characteristics) of the Jiangnan area.
These six functional blocks of the Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center each have distinct and unique functional divisions and artistic characteristics. While each exhibits ingenious conception, they also collectively form a harmonious and seemingly natural整体 (whole) structure, truly achieving “each displays its own beauty, and together they create greater beauty,” striving for the ultimate realm of artistic perfection.
Water Margin Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness
The classic scenes from The Water Margin are highly narrative and artistic. The portraits of the 108 Liangshan heroes are particularly vivid in expression and demeanor, fully demonstrating the profound and exquisite skill of Mr. Dai, acclaimed as the “foremost painter of the Water Margin.”
Grand View Red Mansions Hall
The Grand View Red Mansions Hall, combined with interpretations (prototype explanations) related 、to the “Ten Li Clear Wave” water route and the “Autumn Reed and Flying Snow” scenery, helps the audience thoroughly understand the Red Mansions imprint of Xixi. Through technologies like infrared sensing, traditional ink art, and dynamic digital integration, audiences can直观 (intuitively) experience classic scenes like the “Land of Illusion” from Dream of the Red Chamberand understand the character groups from Dream of the Red Chamber as depicted by Mr. Dai.
Ink Past and Present Multimedia Hall
In the Ink Past and Present Multimedia Hall, paintings such as “Assembly of Immortals at Shanghai City God Temple,” “Thirty-Six Thunder Generals,” and “The Heroes of Liangshan’s Final Path” are brought to life through panning techniques. The scrolls slowly unfurl, the figures each exhibit movement,放大 (magnifying) the display of Mr. Dai’s superb painting technique and further conveying the charm within the paintings.
108IN Art and Culture Space
The 108IN Art and Culture Space displays merchandise related to Dai Dunbang’s works. The Art Center, in collaboration with West Lake Cultural Creativity, has launched nearly 60 types of art IP-themed cultural and creative products, divided into classic (e.g., Red Mansions Elegance Sachets) and innovative (e.g., Water Margin themed stickers) categories, allowing classical art to integrate into the daily lives of ordinary audiences.
Dai Dunbang’s Studio
Dai Dunbang’s Studio completely restores the stationery and tools from the artist’s studio, as well as the on-site scenario of the artist creating, offering a glimpse into his vigorous and unrestrained brushwork.
108 Heroes Corridor
In the 108 Heroes Corridor, visitors can use their phone’s NFC function to summon Water Margin heroes, watch exclusive animations, and learn about the brave deeds of these heroes.
Cultural Inheritance
Inheriting the cultural lineage and continuously forging “living” classic art classes.
As one of the founders of New China’s comic strip (连环画 lianhuanhua) creation and a “Lifetime Achievement Artist of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles,” Mr. Dai Dunbang has deeply cultivated classical literary themes for decades. His works like “108 Portraits of Water Margin Characters” and “Hundred Figures of Dream of the Red Chamber” are widely praised as “monuments in the history of modern Chinese figure painting.”
“As the saying goes, ‘Half the tale of the Water Margin is linked to Hangzhou, and three parts belong to Xixi.’” Xixi Wetland, as a place where Water Margin stories circulated, where The Water Margin was nurtured, and where the Water Margin spirit is inherited, has an inseparable relationship with Water Margin culture.
The completion of the Dai Dunbang Art Center brings the classical world from Mr. Dai’s Water Margin paintings back to the story’s place of origin, providing an important vehicle for the inheritance and promotion of Water Margin culture in Xixi Wetland.
Just as Mr. Dai said, “Establishing the art center here is to let the audience ‘not just see the paintings, but understand the meaning within them.’ After viewing the Water Margin character paintings, one can turn around and feel the connection between Xixi and Water Margin culture.”
Integration and Mastery
Art research and study, assisting Xixi Wetland in constructing a new “humanistic landmark.”
After its opening, the Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center will continue to promote the Center’s humanistic vitality. It will focus on combining Mr. Dai’s profoundly rich classical art with Hangzhou’s local culture and natural ecology, planning and presenting a series of thematic cultural activities and rich artistic themes like classic art research content. It aims to integrate the charm of traditional painting and calligraphy art with the study of Chinese classics, thereby providing the public with deep humanistic nourishment.
It is foreseeable that the Dai Dunbang Art Center will become an important carrier for cultural construction in Xihu District, helping Xixi Wetland upgrade from an “ecological landmark” to a “cultural landmark,” allowing more people to feel the unique charm of China’s excellent traditional culture through ink and brush.
We sincerely welcome domestic and international visitors and traditional humanistic art enthusiasts to come to the Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center for an enjoyable visit!
Written By Xixi Wetland
Edited and Translated By Hangzhou Dai Dunbang Art Center