In the early spring of the Year of the Dragon, the Ceiba·Lingnan Style —— Special Exhibition of Chen Yongqiang’s Works will open at National Art Museum of China in Beijing on March 3rd, 2012, co-hosted by Host Unity: Ministry of Culture of People’s Republic of China (PRC), China Association for Promoting Democracy Central Committee, Propaganda Department of Guangdong Provincial Party committee of CPC, Chinese Artists Association, National Art Museum of China, Propaganda Department of CPC Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee. This is another solo exhibition of the painter in Beijing after nine years.

Chen Yongqiang, now the curator of Memorial Hall of Lingnan School, is an artist growing up in Lingnan. Ceiba has an irreplacable special place in his life. The ceiba in his works is upright and vibrant, alive with some sort of awe-inspiring righteousness as the totem symbol of Lingnan culture and spirit. The estimable is that his “ceiba” has been lifted to reflection on and ode to the grand theme of “life” and “spirit” from simple depiction about “trees and flowers”. The previous works have never portrayed ceiba in such a penetrating and personified way like him.