Thriving by Zhou Chunya

An exhibition of contemporary art with a theme of "Living in Chengdu 2015" was staged in Tokyo from Dec 17 to Dec 23.

The exhibition, which featured about 20 pieces of art about life in Chengdu by 12 local contemporary artists, such as Zhou Chunya, He Duoling and Feng Zhengjie, was designed to allow viewers to feel what modern life is like in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, which is famous for its leisurely lifestyle and historical culture.

2014 Heart by Zeng Pu

Artist Zhou Chunya said: "Only when a city has culture and substance can it attract tourists." Zhou is one of the first artists since the 1990s from Sichuan to show his art to the world. His and others' works have flagged Chengdu's contemporary art scene and built a bridge connecting Chengdu with the world.

Stream in Valley by Xue Song

As part of the 2015 exhibition in Tokyo, a seminar was held on Chengdu's contemporary art and art tourism, during which experts, officials and artists discussed the trend of merging culture, art and tourism. The Chengdu tourism and cultural authorities released maps of Chengdu's art scene locations including the Landing Art Zone, launched a website about Chengdu art tourism with Air China, and published an album of Chengdu's contemporary art and art tourism sites.

Rockery by Zhou Chunya

Japan is an important tourist market source for Chengdu. From January to October, about 125,900 Japanese came to Chengdu, making Japan the fifth-largest source of foreign visitors to the city.

The exhibition was first shown in 2004 at the Shenzhen Gallery. It has since been held in foreign locations, including Singapore and Montpellier, France, and has played an important role in promoting Chengdu's culture, art and tourism around the world.

Chengdu and Japanese representatives cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the "Living in Chengdu 2015" contemporary art exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec 17.

The art event was sponsored by the Chengdu tourism bureau and the Chengdu cultural affairs bureau, and organized by the Chengdu Cultural and Tourism Development Group and the Chengdu Contemporary Art Association with the assistance of Air China. The art gallery Nitten hosted the exhibition.