Nine-Dragon-Mountain Art Research Center of Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Art, sitting in the Nine-Dragon-Mountain National Nature Reserve, Mentougou District in western suburbs of Beijing, was founded in 1996. There have been tens of artists once living here during the decades since its foundation, with their works coming into being. On July, 6th, 2010, over 80 artistic works from the Nine-Dragon-Mountain Art Research Center will be collectively put on stage in “The First Nine-Dragon-Mountain Art Exhibition” by the National Art Museum, to show to the public splendid achievements in the artistic research and creation during these 15 years through “masterpieces that even flush the work of nature”. The works brought from 43 artists including Mr. Wu Zuoren and Mrs. Xiao Shufang, cover such categories as oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, sculpture and photograph.

In the early 1990s, most artists suffered from very limited space for creation, and Mr. Wu Zuoren was of course one of them. Nine-Dragon-Mountain Art Research Center, which was founded at that time, helps to solve right this problem by offering the artists a relatively perfect work place. With vigorous support and assistance of both the municipal and district governments, the Center was given life by the cooperation between the Foundation and China Forestry Science Research Institute, in the form of joint construction for public use. It has drawn tens of artists including some famous ones like Zhang Ding, Hou Yimin, Wen Lipeng, Jiang Caiping, Pan Shixun, Zhu Naizheng, Yan Zhenduo, Shang Yang, etc., as well as some young artists like Pan Ying, Li Chen, Yan Bo, Cui Liu, Liu Shangying, Song Danqing etc. And their works fall into many categories such as oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, sculpture and photograph, etc. During these years since its foundation, the artists, in such a fair environment without disturbance, totally immersed themselves in the enthusiastic exploration of art, and finally brought about many a brilliant work. To some extent, the achievements of Nine-Dragon-Mountain are actually reflecting the art development of New China. Just as Mr. Wu said, “what makes a thing an artwork, is the fact that it can mirror a race, a time and an environment, because only when it satisfies this condition, can we see a race, a time and an environment through it.”

Those artists of Nine-Dragon-Mountain, who live and create far away from flashlights, are more than willing to present their every bit of growth on the artistic road throughout all these years to the public, their colleagues and anyone that ever shows care and support, in this way to express their profound gratitude to the art.