China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd. (CMBC) announced that they would officially manage the Yan-Huang Art Museum at a press conference held on December 11. He Juxing, the Brand Image Department Manager of CMBC, will also act as curator of the art museum concurrently.

Wang Shitong, the president of CMBC, said Minsheng Bank would transform Yan-Huang Art Museum into a first-class public art museum via continuous fund injections from Minsheng Bank. The art museum will then become a venue for the public to raise their aesthetic skills as well as an open window for Beijing and foreign countries involved in cultural exchanges. The final goal is to promote the arts.

Negotiating began in July. He Juxing emphasized that this act is purely a philanthropic act, without any attempt toward engendering profits or commercial speculation. It was simply a strategic selection the bank has made in order to take on social responsibility.

The Yan-Huang Art Museum, founded in 1991, is Beijing's first large modern art museum. The celebrated Chinese painter, Huang Zhou (1925-1997), also the first curator of the museum, sponsored the museum. Huang, whose original name is Liang Shunian, decided to build the art museum after his solo exhibition experienced great success in Singapore in 1986.

The collection consists mainly of contemporary Chinese paintings, and also includes ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy, cultural relics and other works of art. 

Zheng Wenhui, the ex-curator of the Yan-Huang Art Museum and widow of Huang Zhou, said that people suggested naming the museum as Huang Zhou Art Museum but her husband refused. Huang said he himself was too much a lightweight painter to name a museum. And he insisted that the museum's aim was to serve the public. Ultimately the museum got the name of Yan-Huang Art Museum due to the fact that the Chinese believe they are all descended from Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang.

She said it took her a long time since the time her husband passed away in 1997 to search for and find a sponsor who could give the museum new life and who was willing to inherit her husband's principle of serving the public. When she found that Minsheng Bank shared the same point of view she willingly allowed them to manage the museum.

He Juxing also swore to continuously uphold the Huang Zhou's principles and to direct the museum to take on more social responsibilities. 

He said that the Minsheng Bank had made and will continue to make many contributions to the art world. The bank issued the nation's first art fund in 2007 to ensure that more investment would be injected into the art market. Also, they plan to built a new art museum, perhaps called the Minsheng Mordent Art Museum, which would be the first art museum totally funded by a financial institution. The bank is also planning to hold an Asia Art Forum to directly promote the arts in the academic world. 

Founded on January 12, 1996 in Beijing, China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd. (CMBC) is the first national joint-stock commercial bank in China with stocks mainly held by non-state-owned enterprises. In March 2007, CMBC was nominated for the "2006 China Charity Award".

Specializing in portraying grand scenes and group images, the late Chinese painting master Huang Zhou's works always serve to grace such places as the Great Hall of the People, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and Zhongnanhai. Besides figure paintings, Huang's animal works are acclaimed as vivid and successful.

He Juxing, the new curator of the Yan-Huang Art Museum, is giving a speech at the press conference.
 
Zheng Wenhui, the ex-curator of the Yan-Huang Art Museum and widow of Huang Zhou, is making a speech at the press conference.
 
The Yan-Huang Art Museum.

(China.org.cn by Chen Lin December 13, 2007)