A delegation of more than ten leading US arts figures visited the Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center and Xinghai Concert Hall. The cutting-edge immersive digital exhibitions in these cultural venues left them deeply impressed, sparking interest in launching joint art programs between China and the United States.
Nestled along the Pearl River, the Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center is a landmark cultural complex built under a "three-in-one-venue" design concept. It brings together Guangdong Museum of Art (广东美术馆), Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum (广东省非物质文化遗产馆), and Guangdong Literary Museum (广东文学馆) under one architectural roof, with a total construction area of around 145,000 square meters.
The group toured the three venues in sequence and visited the large-scale projection-powered exhibition, the Chen Jialing Art Exhibition (陈家泠艺术展), which leverages artificial intelligence to animate traditional Chinese artworks, including calligraphy. These high‑tech installations allow visitors, young audiences in particular, to step into classic paintings and experience the inner spirit of artistic pieces in vivid new ways.
Sean O'Harrow, President and CEO of the Bowers Museum, highlighted the center's outstanding competence in immersive presentation. "They are very strong in immersive presentations," O'Harrow noted. He pointed out that digital artworks enjoy convenient cross-border transport, opening a practical path for collaboration. One concrete proposal is to bring Guangdong-produced immersive projection exhibits to American audiences, while artworks created by his California-based institution would travel to China in return. He also flagged contemporary Chinese art as another promising field for future exchanges.
Ding-Jo H. Currie, President of the Lingnan Foundation, described the overwhelming sense of wonder upon entering the venue. "It's like astronauts going into space. They have this feeling of awe," she said.
According to Currie, O'Harrow held direct conversations with museum representatives onsite and expressed strong enthusiasm for formalizing an agreement.
Suzanne Appel, Managing Director at South Coast Repertory, acknowledged California boasts many distinguished museums, yet she had rarely encountered a venue of such ambitious scale. The center's forward-looking design, crafted to engage younger generations with art, struck her as highly commendable.
The American group also travelled to Xinghai Concert Hall for face-to-face exchanges with local musicians and ensembles. Artists from the Guangdong National Orchestra (广东民族乐团) delivered a pipa (4-stringed Chinese lute) performance for the overseas visitors, offering the delegation an up-close taste of traditional Chinese folk music and opening new possibilities for future Sino-US musical cooperation.
Reporter | Dong Han
Script | Dong Han
Filming | Guo Hongda
Video editor & Poster | Guo Hongda
