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253 works by 190 artists on the China-Laos Railway, shown free at Yunnan Art Museum in Kunming.
The exhibition is built around the China–Laos Railway, which began operating on 3 December 2021 and runs from Kunming in Yunnan south to Vientiane in Laos, connecting onward towards Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. The 253 works are divided into three sections. "生活之路" (the road of life) uses Chinese ink painting, oil, printmaking and watercolour to depict landscapes, settlements and daily life along the line. "时间之路" (the road of time) brings together documentary film, photography, historical documents and contemporary video on movement, social change and memory. "文化之路" (the road of culture) is given over to regional crafts: ethnic weaving and dyeing, ceramics, bamboo work, papermaking and wood carving.
Two participating artists are quoted by the organiser's account of the opening. Wang Jian, from Jiangsu, is showing 《蓝色温度》 ("Blue Temperature"), composed of six pieces of indigo-dyed cloth, blue printed fabric and patchwork, which he describes as a set of variations on indigo and a reflection of exchange between the dyeing traditions of Yunnan and Laos. Tu Xiao, from Yunnan, has contributed a painting of Jingmai Mountain in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er, a place she has visited repeatedly.
Admission is free for the duration of the run, and no ticket price has been announced because none applies. Beyond that, the practical questions a foreign visitor will have are unanswered in the organiser's announcement. Nothing has been published about whether entry requires advance booking, and if so whether that booking runs through WeChat or another Chinese platform, whether a mainland Chinese mobile number is needed to complete it, or whether real-name registration and passport verification are required at the door. Opening hours and closing days have not been published either. There is no stated registration deadline, and no separate ticketed programme, public opening day or associated event has been announced. Travellers should treat all of this as unconfirmed and check with the venue directly before making the trip.
The biennale is organised by the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and run by the Yunnan Art Museum, which also operates as the Yunnan Painting Academy. It was founded in 2012; the first seven editions showed work by more than 600 artists from China and abroad. After the Kunming run closes, the photographic works are to tour major points along the China–Laos Railway. The itinerary, dates and venues for that tour have not been published.
Source: China News Service, 21 August 2026.
One thing worth flagging: the source gives both an opening event on the evening of 20 August and a run beginning 4 August. I have reported both as stated rather than reconciling them.This entry was compiled automatically from the organiser's own page and every date in it was checked back against that page before publishing. Nobody from our team has been to this one, and we have not called the organisers — where they have not published something, this page says so rather than filling the gap.
Status: Text says the biennale opened on the evening of Aug 20 but states the exhibition period as Aug 4–Oct 11; both dates given as-is. No opening hours, address, or ticketing/registration details in the text. A later touring exhibition of the photography works along China-Laos Railway nodes is mentioned with no dates or venues. Source: the organiser's own page, fetched and verified on 2026-09-01 (https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2026/08-21/10681467.shtml) · checked 2026-09-01