Ma Yongzhong

Aged Horse by the Manger, Yet Ambition for a Thousand Miles

—— Interview with Ma Yongzhong, Member of the China Democratic League and Director of Jia De Art Gallery

 

Author: Jin Lichun

The blood of writers and artists is always hot, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter.

—— Author's Note

He is an experienced figure in the world of calligraphy and painting, yet still just an ordinary person; he has achieved his ambitions but is plagued by illness... Yet he never surrenders, because he carries a heart that is always burning with passion. He is Ma Yongzhong, a member of the China Democratic League and director of the Jia De Art Gallery.

When it comes to Ma Yongzhong, I'd like to say a few more words. I first met Ma Yongzhong when I was young, at a time when I was just beginning to write. I often saw his excellent works and name in newspapers and magazines. Heaven blessed me with the opportunity to work alongside Teacher Ma Yongzhong later on.

That was in 1999, when I was invited to participate in the editing and compilation of the large-scale social science literature series "Century Literary Classic" (Gansu Volume). Teacher Ma Yongzhong served as general editor and director. He was kind and respectful, often guiding me in correcting editorial mistakes, which helped me complete my work successfully. Later, due to job requirements, I moved on to other work and we parted ways for over a decade. But I often thought of him. Upon inquiry, someone told me that Teacher Ma was still passionately engaged in his beloved literary and cultural work.

In February of the Gengzi year, I saw a message circulating in my WeChat Moments that deeply saddened me—Ma Yongzhong had been diagnosed with right lung squamous cell carcinoma that had metastasized to his left lung. I wanted to visit him immediately, but since I was in Shanghai, far away from home, and busy with work, I couldn't return. It wasn't until December 16th of the same year, during the founding of the Dongzhi Town Cultural Association, that I was elected chairman of the Writers' Association. In the membership registration form, I once again saw the name —— Ma Yongzhong. Learning that Teacher Ma attended this event despite his illness filled me with admiration and respect.

After the meeting, I arranged to interview him a few days later and meet up.

Winter in Dongzhi Plateau is covered in ice and snow everywhere. Most people, like others in Northwest China, stay indoors, warming themselves by fireplaces while playing with their phones.

I stepped into

the Jia De Art Gallery located at No. 30 South Street, Dongzhi Town, Xifeng District, Qingyang City, Gansu Province. As I lifted the curtain, Ma Yongzhong’s wife warmly told me: “Teacher Ma is upstairs entertaining guests—please go up quickly.” Following the east staircase, I found many people gathered in the eastern living room discussing creative insights with Ma Yongzhong. Different questions were answered satisfactorily by Ma Yongzhong, and the writers and artists inside the room felt fulfilled, laughing heartily.

 

I didn’t dare to interrupt the writers and artists, so I focused on reading the gallery’s introduction posted on the wall:

The Jia De Art Gallery is located at No. 30 South Street, Dongzhi Town, Xifeng District, Qingyang City, Gansu Province, just one kilometer from the city center—it serves as the southern gateway to Qingyang City. The vast Dongzhi Plateau, rich in natural resources, has nurtured generations of hardworking, wise, and virtuous people. Dongzhi Town, a shining pearl on the plateau, is known as “a place where roads converge and trade thrives.” It is inseparably connected to the Dongzhi Plateau, experiencing a glorious past, a beautiful present, and a happy future. Highways and high-speed railways surround the town, with exits and stations nearby. Urban buses, Century Avenue, Changqing Pedestrian Street, and the West Ring Road connect to the city center. Qingyang Petrochemical Plant, Xifeng Oilfield, Longdong Oilfield, Xifeng Vocational Secondary School, Qingyang Thousand-Mu Cultural Park, Qingyang Thousand-Mu Forest Park, Nanhu Ecological Park, and the iconic Rainbow Bridge are all situated in Dongzhi. North Stone Temple and Xiao Kongtong are two major tourist attractions in Dongzhi. Qingyang Airport, Changqing Bridge Railway Station, Longdong University, Qingyang Polytechnic College, and Qingyang High-Speed Railway Station are all near Dongzhi.

The Jia De Art Gallery was founded in 2001 (registered under business law). Since then, it has established several institutions: Western Poetry and Painting Magazine (publishing the journal "Western Poetry and Painting," approved in July 16, 2014), Duoyunxuan Cultural Research Center (registered in February 22, 2017), Qunxing Farmers’ Calligraphy and Painting Art Museum (registered March 20, 2017), Northwest Branch of China University of Calligraphy and Painting (approved in 2016), Hanbo Art Academy (approved April 28, 2018), Chinese Hard Pen Calligraphy Association member unit (approved September 2019), and China Calligraphy and Painting Associations Youth Art Evaluation Base (approved August 2019). It now operates as a group enterprise (one team, eight banners).

The Jia De Art Gallery covers over 6,000 square meters, featuring a main hall, eight exhibition halls, a guesthouse, parking lot, and training school. Since its establishment, it has continuously hosted calligraphy and painting gatherings, regularly organized exhibitions, competitions, and youth art training. Annually, it receives over 4,000 calligraphy and painting artists, trains more than 200 children, and welcomes over 20,000 visitors and participants. The gallery houses nearly 40,000 pieces of calligraphy and painting works (sets), over 100 long scrolls (40 already framed), over 100 albums, more than 500 other artworks, over 1,000 books, and published 16 formal book categories totaling over 20,000 copies (in stock). Additionally, it holds over 400 artist portfolios and collections.

Besides daily exchanges among calligraphy and painting artists, the gallery publishes the official magazine "Western Poetry and Painting" four times a year, plus special issues and themed editions (co-published with the Northwest Institute of Calligraphy and Painting; the headquarters is in Shuyuanmen, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, with Jia De Art Gallery as a branch).

 

“Lichun, you’re here! Please wait a moment,” said Ma Yongzhong with a smile. I shifted my gaze and thoughts from the wall to him—he had become noticeably thinner due to illness, yet remained as approachable as ever. He then introduced me to the others: “This is my old colleague and partner—a fellow writer. Today he’s here for an interview with me.” Everyone turned their attention to me. I raised both hands in greeting and asked everyone to continue their discussion.

An hour later, after seeing off the guests, old friends reunited with great warmth. After exchanging pleasantries, I began a formal one-on-one interview with Ma Yongzhong.

Below is the recorded interview with Teacher Ma Yongzhong.

Q: Teacher Ma, how is your health now? I heard you’ve been conducting public welfare activities despite being ill—is your body strong enough?

A: I am currently undergoing medication treatment. You know, I have loved literature and art all my life—this is my sole passion and lifelong goal. As long as I can contribute even a little to cultural endeavors, I feel it’s worth it.

Q: You’ve worked at multiple news organizations—why did you decide to start a gallery?

A: I previously worked at the People’s Daily, Xifeng County Party Committee Publicity Department of Qingyang City, Xifeng District Party Committee Publicity Department, Jinri Xifeng Newspaper, Longdong Vocational Secondary School, and Xifeng Vocational Secondary School, serving concurrently as station chief for Western Development News, Financial Times, and 21 other local newspaper and magazine bureaus. I also held positions such as Vice President of the National Academy of Chinese Painting, Honorary President of the China Artists Association, Vice Chairman of the China Contemporary Art Association, Chairman of the Gansu Branch of the Chinese Hard Pen Calligraphy Association, and member of the China Calligraphy and Painting Collectors Association—among 36 organizations.

I then registered private entities including Qingyang Cross-Century Culture Communication Center, Qingyang Jia De Art Gallery, Qingyang Qunxing Farmers’ Calligraphy and Painting Art Museum, and Qingyang Duoyunxuan Cultural Research Center. I also secured approvals for the Northwest Branch of China University of Calligraphy and Painting (Qingyang Creation Base), Chinese Hard Pen Calligraphy Association Member Unit, China Calligraphy and Painting Associations Youth Art Evaluation Base, China Calligraphy and Painting Associations Youth Painting Art Evaluation Base, and Western Poetry and Painting Magazine, establishing branches such as Hanbo Art Academy.

I believe talent revitalization is foundational to comprehensively advancing rural revitalization, aligning with central government directives. For years, rural youth and high-quality talents have continued to leave, resulting in insufficient total numbers, imbalanced structures, low quality, and severe aging. Overall rural talent development lags significantly behind the needs of rural revitalization. In the new development stage, we must comprehensively advance rural revitalization and accelerate agricultural modernization—rural talent supply-demand conflicts will intensify. To speed up rural talent revitalization, I started the gallery to address these issues—to cultivate young talent using my own strengths.

 

Q: What is your greatest achievement?

A: My greatest achievement is publishing the nationally recognized magazine "Western Poetry and Painting" and independently publishing 14 monographs, including "A Comprehensive Discussion on News Writing."

In recent years, I’ve received various honors, including: in March 2013, awarded "Outstanding Member of the Qingyang Municipal Committee of the China Democratic League" by the Qingyang Municipal Committee of the China Democratic League; in April 2014, awarded "Outstanding Member of the Xifeng District Committee of the China Democratic League" by the Xifeng District Committee of the China Democratic League; in August 2015, invited to Lanzhou to attend the provincial-level exchange meeting on proposals and suggestions by members of the China Democratic League; in December 2016, conferred "Chinese Literary Celebrity" by Beijing Tongyi Cultural Art Museum; in May 2018, awarded "Most Beautiful Worker in Chinese Industry" by the China Communist Party History and Party Building Network; in October 2018, awarded "Excellent Tutor" by the Chinese Hard Pen Calligraphy Association; in December 2018, awarded "Ten Outstanding Artists of the People" by the China Calligraphy and Painting Yellow Pages Network; in December 2019, awarded "New Era’s Most Beautiful Builder" by the China International Reportage Literature Research Association; in September 2020, organized the rotating exhibition of collected calligraphy and paintings across eight counties and districts in Qingyang City, receiving over 200 local league members and 40,000+ domestic and international artists and enthusiasts.

Q: You’ve gained so much—what economic benefits have you reaped? I heard you had to borrow money for medical expenses. As the saying goes, “Writers are always poor.” Have you regretted giving so much of yourself?

A: Yes, I had to raise funds during my illness—but many people donated to help me. This world is still full of sunshine and boundless love. I’ll keep pursuing cultural causes—I’d rather give everything than regret it. I simply enjoy doing what I should do, making culture accessible to the public and letting the public embrace culture.

Q: I hear you’ve retired and are still working while sick—do you plan to stop writing?

A: Although I’m unwell, I still intend to finish writing my personal collection. Though tired, I find joy in the labor.

Q: I’d like to ask you an academic question. You joined the China Reportage Literature Association in 2004—you’re a seasoned writer. Can reportage literature use literary techniques?

A: Reportage literature must maintain journalistic truthfulness, but we may employ some literary techniques to describe scenes. We can also add commentary and discuss positive values. Ultimately, reportage literature relies on facts—it’s the author’s commentary that adds the final touch, like the eye of a dragon.

Q: I have another question—what are your plans for 2021?

A: 2021 is a key year for the “14th Five-Year Plan.” At the Central Rural Work Conference, it was emphasized that national rejuvenation depends on rural revitalization. My plan includes training more children to become pillars of the nation, organizing more artists and writers for discussions and exchanges, using "Western Poetry and Painting" and the Jia De Art Gallery platform to promote new talent and fresh works, organizing artists and writers to conduct cultural research in rural areas, bringing culture to the countryside so farmers truly feel the warmth of cultural support. Using the Jia De Art Gallery to nurture talent, I aim to provide solid human capital for comprehensive rural revitalization, making vast rural areas brim with vitality and promising futures.

“Thank you, Teacher, for granting this interview. Wishing you a speedy recovery and success in the New Year. It’s getting late—I shouldn’t disturb you further. Goodbye!”

I knew Teacher Ma was ill and didn’t want to take up too much of his time. After each question, I excused myself and left.

Leaving the Jia De Art Gallery, I watched Teacher Ma’s back as he turned to go inside. The sky was still cold, but my heart was warm. I thought: no matter how grand history may be, it’s driven forward by people like Teacher Ma—ordinary individuals who persistently dedicate themselves. The blood of writers and artists is always hot, regardless of season.

(Author: Famous Poet, Certified Writer of the "China Rural" Magazine, Chairman of the Dongzhi Writers’ Association)