On the morning of May 23, Xi’an Shiyou University held the opening ceremony for the Zhao Jiping Music and Art Museum. The ceremony took place on the seventh floor of the Library at the university’s Huyi Campus.Zhao Jiping attended the ceremony, along with Zhu Xiaodan, former Governor of Guangdong Province; Liu Weilong, former Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress; Zhang Lin, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Executive Vice Chairperson of the Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Gui Weimin, former Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress; Liu Bin, Executive Vice President of the Shaanxi Yan’an Spirit Research Association and former Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television; Gao Jianhua, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yan’an Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of Yan’an; Ye Lu, Director of the Female Workers’ Committee of the Shaanxi Federation of Trade Unions and Vice President of the Shaanxi Women’s Federation; Zhao Yuewang, Deputy General Manager of Shaanxi Tourism Group Co., Ltd.; Lyu Pin, Secretary of the Leading Party Members Group and Secretary-General of the Shaanxi Musicians Association; Wang Zhi, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Huyi District Committee and Head of its Publicity Department; and Dong Ruifeng, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Yaozhou District Committee of Tongchuan..

Also present were guests from the cultural and artistic community, including composers Jing Jianshu and Zhang Jian, and singer Feng Jianxue, Vice Chairperson of the Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles. Zhao Jiping’s son Zhao Lin, a composer and Vice President of the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, attended as a representative of Zhao’s family members and friends. Representatives from sister institutions, participating construction units, supporting organizations including Shaanxi Chuangyuan Petroleum Technology Co., Ltd., and media outlets also attended the ceremony.University leaders attending the event included Chang Jiang, Secretary of the CPC Xi’an Shiyou University Committee; Zhang Mu and Cheng Yongqing, Deputy Secretaries of the CPC Xi’an Shiyou University Committee; Vice Presidents Zhang Juntao and Zhong Yuhong; as well as heads of schools, departments and administrative units, and faculty and student representatives. The ceremony was presided over by President Wang Jinfu.

At the ceremony, Chang Jiang delivered a speech on behalf of the university. He paid high tribute to Zhao Jiping and expressed sincere thanks to all leaders, guests and construction teams. Chang noted that since 2003, Zhao has served successively as a member of the university’s Expert Advisory Committee for Arts Programs, Director of the Department of Music, Honorary Director of the Department of Music, and Distinguished Professor. In 2007, Zhao co-wrote the university anthem,Brilliant Tomorrow, with Chen Zhongshi and Xu Jianming.Chang said that under Zhao’s dedicated guidance, the university’s music education has developed rapidly. To preserve and carry forward this precious artistic legacy, the university spent two years carefully planning, designing and curating the museum. He emphasized that the completion of the museum is a vivid practice of the spirit of Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art, and a concrete step to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important statements on literature and art, as well as the requirement of educating students through culture. It also reflects the university’s commitment to aesthetic education, cultural cultivation, and the deep integration of its engineering strengths with a strong humanistic tradition.Looking ahead, Chang said the university will properly manage, make full use of and carefully preserve the museum, incorporating it into aesthetic education, campus cultural development and cultural exchanges. He added that the university will continue to move forward with determination in building Xi’an Shiyou University into a first-class, culturally vibrant university where faculty and students thrive.

Lyu Pin read a congratulatory letter from the China Musicians Association. Participants then watched congratulatory videos sent by well-known figures from across China’s cultural and artistic circles, including internationally renowned directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige; actor Zhang Guoli; Peking Opera artist Shang Changrong; director Hu Mei; conductor Li Xincao, President of the China Conservatory of Music and Vice Chairperson of the China Musicians Association; baritone Liao Changyong, President of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Vice Chairperson of the China Musicians Association; Li Mei, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Shaanxi Traditional Opera Research Institute;renownedsoprano Feng Jianxue, Vice Chairperson of the Shaanxi Federation of Literary and Art Circles and former President of the Shaanxi Song and Dance Theater; conductor Yan Huichang; actress He Saifei; film sound engineer Tao Jing; and pipa virtuoso Wu Man.

In his remarks, Zhao Jiping expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university’s Party committee and administrative leadership, as well as to everyone involved in the museum’s construction. “During the two years of preparation, no one from the university came to my home to disturb me, yet the completeness of the collected materials truly amazed me. This is the spirit of petroleumworkers,” he said with emotion. Zhao added that higher education in China, and the development of young people in particular, need culture. The museum, he said, will surely become an important platform in Chinese higher education for cultural inheritance and for enhancing students’ cultural literacy.

Amid warm applause, Zhao Jiping, Zhu Xiaodan, Liu Weilong, Zhang Lin, Gui Weimin, Liu Bin, Jing Jianshu, Feng Jianxue, Zhang Jian, Chang Jiang, Wang Jinfu, Gao Jianhua and Wang Zhi jointly unveiled the Zhao Jiping Music and Art Museum.

In his concluding remarks, Wang Jinfupointed out thatthe opening of the museum marks another major achievement in the university’s cultural development and represents a vivid effort to carry forward the spirit of Chinese music and cultivate a new generation for the times. Zhao, he said, has created countless classics with the touch of a master. Rooted in tradition, Zhao has followed the creative principle of “reaching out to folk culture with one hand and to tradition with the other.” Through the musical charm of the Silk Road, he has told China’s stories to the world and contributed a distinct Chinese voice to the cultural symphony of the Belt and Road. With fresh expressions of Qin culture, he has brought renewed vitality to the ancient land of Chang’an through music and dance. Through works that reflect the times, he has continued to express his deep love for the motherland and the people.Wang stressed that the university community should take Zhao Jiping as an example, strengthen cultural confidence, forge ahead with determination, and continue to sing the uplifting melody of Brilliant Tomorrow. In the symphony of music and the times, he said, the university will draw strength to cultivate more young people with ideals, responsibility and humanistic commitment.

After the ceremony, participating leaders and guests toured the museum, took group photos, and wrote inscriptions for the museum.

Later, Zhao visited Jingxian Garden at the university’s Huyi Campus, where he planted an osmanthus tree. Evergreen throughout the year and known for its lasting fragrance, the tree symbolizes the enduring presence of Zhao Jiping’s artistic spirit on campus. Zhu Xiaodan, Liu Weilong, Gui Weimin, Chang Jiang, Wang Jinfu and Zhao Lin accompanied him.

Background of the Zhao Jiping Music and Art Museum

The Zhao Jiping Music and Art Museum grew out of the deep bond between Zhao Jiping and Xi’an Shiyou University over more than two decades. Since 2003, Zhao has served successively as a member of the university’s Expert Advisory Committee for Arts Programs, Director of the Department of Music, Honorary Director of the Department of Music, and Distinguished Professor. He still serves personally as artistic adviser to the university choir.Over the years, Zhao has devoted himself to guiding the rapid development of the university’s music education. He also co-wrote the university anthem,Brilliant Tomorrow, with Chen Zhongshi and Xu Jianming. To carry forward this precious artistic legacy, and with support from higher authorities and all sectors of society, the university officially launched preparations for the museum in 2024. After two years of careful planning and refinement, the museum officially opened on May 23, 2026.

The museum is themed “My Motherland and My People, an Endless Song.” With a total exhibition area of 650 square meters, it consists of nine sections: Prologue Hall, Gateway to the Arts, Rooted in Tradition, Master of Music, Silk Road Melodies, New Qin Resonance, Chapters of the Times, Inheritance and Innovation, and Epilogue Hall. Together, they present Zhao Jiping’s 70-year artistic journey from a family of artists to the heights of China’s music scene, while highlighting the profound friendship between Zhao and Xi’an Shiyou University, forged through music and deepened through education.

The museum houses more than 340 exhibits, including 10 certificates and credentials, seven trophies, seven paintings, one sculpture, 42 musical instruments, five opera costumes and props, 19 precious manuscripts, 22 letters and performance brochures, 151 photographs, nine newspapers, more than 60 books, and 10 records. It also features 39 decorative posters, 24 opera masks and more than 70 props.These rich and valuable objects trace Zhao Jiping’s creative career and artistic path, rooted in tradition and shaped by the spirit of the times. They also add profound artistic depth to Xi’an Shiyou University, an institution known for its distinctive strengths in engineering, making the museum an important venue for carrying forward the spirit of Chinese national music and advancing culture-based education.