Red Classic, a term defining artwork that portrays the country's Communist accomplishments, constitutes an important part of modern Chinese art. Signature works of the genre are in museum collections around the country, such as The Inauguration of New China (Kaiguo Dadian), an oil work by Dong Xiwen; Thousands of Hills in a Crimsoned View, a Mao Zedong poem-inspired, colored ink landscape by Li Keran and Dujiang Campaign, a relief sculpture by Liu Kaiqu. Some are on long-term display.

The National Art Museum of China, which boasts an extensive collection of such art, has been rotating these works for exhibitions, or lending them out for display at other museums. Wu Weishan, director of the Beijing museum, says the art will play a role in teaching the history of the Communist Party of China, as the country marks the centennial of its founding this year.

Wu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, discussed at the fourth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee how full use can be made of this legacy of history, culture and art.

"These epic works of fine art, sourced from extensive historical documents and research, re-create scenes from important events in the history of the CPC over the past century, and portray prominent figures and outstanding CPC members," Wu says.

He says the paintings, sculptures, prints and photos present the beauty of faith, by telling touching stories of how the Party led Chinese people to overcome hardships and blaze a new trail of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Wu suggests that Party historians work with art theorists and critics to conduct in-depth, systematic studies of Red Classic art, especially the themed works created after the founding of People's Republic of China in 1949. He says a careful survey of how those works narrate Party history, and their distinctive approach to artistic presentation, will inspire new ways to help connect them with audiences today.

Wu adds that the career of Party artists, such as that of Han Leran, who is recognized as the first artist to become a CPC member, is also deserving of intensive study.

Han, born in 1898, trained as a painter first in Shanghai and then in France. He joined the Party in 1923. He was sent to Northwest China in the 1940s, where he was responsible for liaison work between the Party and local communities. He led archaeological excavations there and studied, categorized and recorded murals in the Kizil caves in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, many of which date back to the third century. He died in a plane crash in 1947.

The National Art Museum owns 135 of Han's paintings, including copies of the Kizil murals. It held an exhibition displaying some of the works in 2018 to mark the 120th anniversary of the artist's birth, introducing the contribution to the country's history of this little-known artist to the public.

Wu says that the museum plans to hold a national symposium on the study of the depictions of Party history in art, along with that of the lives and works of Party artists like Han, to encourage the creation of new Red Classic artwork.

The National Art Museum and other cultural institutions, such as the Chinese National Academy of Arts, participated in a State project on themed art creation, launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2016.

For the following three years, the museum organized regular master classes on the production of Red Classic art for young artists enrolled in the project. It then exhibited a selection of their works at several art shows in 2019.

Wu, a renowned sculptor in his own right, has held over 10 seminars as part of the project, at which role models from different walks of life were invited to the museum to sit for statues, while he offered instruction to the artists that were present.

Wu says the project of themed art creation has so far produced works that reflect the dramatic changes in the country since its reform and opening-up, especially how people at the grassroots level strive to realize the Chinese Dream.

"To make works that resonate in people's hearts, we artists need to seek new content and explore with new forms, and it is our people and the time in which we live that we need to pay tribute to with art," Wu says. Wu says that the boom in new Red Classic art also requires innovation in the ways they are displayed and a variety of public education programs.

He says showing high-definition copies of Red Classic artworks is a good way to extend their influence to more people.

The National Art Museum owns more than 140 prints which depict Yan'an, Shaanxi province, as the Communist center in the 1930s and '40s. Since 2017, the museum has gifted copies of these prints to galleries in Yan'an for long-term display, so that viewers can "feel the details of history and develop an enhanced sense of the Yan'an spirit", he says.

"Art should not only be shown at museums, galleries, libraries and memorials. It should be felt in every dimension of people's lives," Wu says.

He suggests that advertisement boards in residential communities and public places, such as airports and subways, can serve as a good platform to introduce epic artworks to the public, and the screen of every digital device should be a moving museum. Making full use of digital technology will greatly increase the appeal of classical art among the young generation.

The introduction of short videos, virtual reality and augmented reality technologies is essential to extending the influence of the Red Classics while also better preserving them for future generations, Wu says.