China-Singapore Jinan Future Industry City "Dialogue with Quehua" Thematic Exhibition of Calligraphy, Painting and Photography Opens in Singapore
17 September 2025, Singapore – Marking the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore, the "Dialogue with Quehua" thematic exhibition of calligraphy, painting and photography from the China-Singapore Jinan Future Industry City officially opened on 17 September 2025 at the Singapore-China Cultural Tourism Promotion Centre.
The event was attended by more than 100 distinguished guests, including Mr Shi Haicheng, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Jinan New and Old Kinetic Energy Conversion Starting Area; Mr Huang Liangjie, President of Keppel Group's Urban Development (China); Ms Fu Yuefen, Senior Vice President of Keppel Intelligence City New Strategy Urban Development Department (China); Mr Chen Yuting, Honorary President of the Singapore Gengsheng Fine Arts Research Association and Contemporary Art Advisor to the Asian Outstanding Entrepreneurs Association; Mr Wang Yuelin, Chairman of the Singapore-China Cultural Tourism Promotion Centre; as well as representatives from Singaporean enterprises, universities and media organisations collaborating with the Starting Area.
In his opening address, Mr Shi Haicheng noted that Jinan is a renowned national historical and cultural city with 4,600 years of civilisation and 2,600 years of city history. The celebrated "Quehua Misty Rain" landscape serves as a profound cultural symbol of Jinan and was the direct inspiration for the Yuan Dynasty master Zhao Mengfu's masterpiece Quehua Autumn Colours. Today, on the very "blank space" of that ancient scroll, the China-Singapore Jinan Future Industry City is rising rapidly, unfolding a vibrant new chapter of development across this dynamic landscape. He expressed the hope that this exhibition would act as a vital bridge to further enhance people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation between the two sides, injecting fresh momentum into collaboration between Shandong Province and Singapore.
To document the area's remarkable progress and deepen cultural ties, from 26 to 28 August this year, the Publicity and Culture Department of the Starting Area Administrative Committee invited renowned artists from Singapore, Taiwan and Shandong to gather in Jinan. Drawing on the Future Industry City's master plan as their living subject and Zhao Mengfu's Quehua Autumn Colours as an artistic bridge, they conducted on-site sketching and collaborative creation. The result is the new work Quehua Spring Colours, which vividly captures the spirit of the contemporary era. This painting made its world premiere in Singapore, harnessing art to envision the future and culture to foster greater mutual understanding and trust.
Mr Huang Liangjie remarked that "Dialogue with Quehua" is more than an artistic showcase of calligraphy, painting and photography—it stands as powerful testimony to the enduring friendship between the land of Qilu (Shandong) and the Lion City (Singapore). Moving forward, Keppel Group will continue to strengthen its partnership with Jinan, allowing friendship to serve as the vessel and art as the sail, thereby promoting resource sharing and the integration of complementary strengths. In this way, the poetic imagery of Quehua Autumn Colours will live on not only in artworks but will be vividly realised in the thriving soil of the Jinan Starting Area.
During the opening ceremony, Ms Fu Yuefen presented the Quehua China-Singapore Garden project, situated within the Jinan New and Old Kinetic Energy Conversion Starting Area. With a total gross floor area of 27,600 square metres, the project is master-designed by renowned Chinese engineering survey and design master Mr He Fang and will be operated by the Keppel team. Centred on Singaporean concepts, it aims to create an enchanting tropical rainforest exploration pavilion, introducing fresh garden aesthetics, novel experiences and contemporary lifestyles to the Qilu region.
Mr Chen Yuting, one of the lead artists, shared that the newly created Quehua Spring Colours seamlessly integrates the Que and Hua mountains with the modern development landscape of the Starting Area. It echoes the grand vision of Zhao Mengfu's original while infusing contemporary vitality. Through the joint efforts of Chinese and Singaporean artists, history and the present engage in meaningful dialogue, forging a cultural memory that transcends mountains and seas. "May we connect hearts through brush and ink, convey affection through landscapes, and let this artistic encounter become a timeless cultural treasure for generations to come."
The exhibition will travel to Jinan, Shandong, for display in October.