On August 18th, a donation ceremony was held in the Academician Hall of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital by State Organs Work Committee of the CPC, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and National Health Commission. 186 were donated to hospitals which had helped Hubei province, including Beijing Hospital and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, by 6 institutions, including Bureau of the Retired Personnel of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Chinese National Academy of Arts, Palace Museum, National Art Museum of China, China National Academy of Painting and Service Office for Retired Staff of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Attendees included Meng Xiangfeng, deputy secretary responsible for daily work of State Organs Work Committee of the CPC, Hu Heping, minister and secretary of leading party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Li Qun, vice minister and member of leading party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Zeng Yixin, deputy directer and member of leading party group of National Health Commission, and Ma Ben, head of the discipline inspection and supervision team of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervision Commission stationed at the National Health Commission and member of the leading party group of National Health Commission.
Hu Heping, minister and secretary of leading party group of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said that the spike of Covid-19 came as a surprise and the whole country solidified to fight against it. Doctors and nurses went to the pandemic-hit area when others fled from it. Numerous art practitioners also played an active part to create new works to present the fight against the pandemic and to praise those engaged in the fight. They make full use of their talents to carry forward the spirit to fight against the pandemic in a new era by using ink and brushes to record brave ordinary people in the front line and by eulogizing heroes in a battle field without gunpowder. Their deed was a practice to implement general secretary Xi Jinping’s demand to “to paint a portrait, write a biography and set moral standards for this era”.
Zeng Yixin said that paintings and calligraphy works praised medical staff working in the hardest-hit area and promoted their moving stories and lofty spirit, which helped us to win the fight against the pandemic. The works showed the great process of how China overcome the pandemic, the noble spirit of medical staff and the mission of Chinese artists in a new era.
On the donation ceremony, heads of institutions awarded those who donated art works; gave paintings and calligraphy works to the institutions and gave certificates to organizers.