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Seeking the next generation of great artists
By Xu Wenwen and Shao Lingwei |
February 8, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou is one of the country's best institutions in its field, attracting tens of thousands of would-be students to take its annual entrance exam. Competition for places is fierce, sparking many private studios to offer training courses, write Xu Wenwen and Shao Lingwei.
Standing in front of the China Academy of Art, 19-year-old Zheng Ying grasps the straps of her bag that contains several drawing kits. Her hands are sweating despite the frosty weather. After a deep breath, the young woman enters a crowd of examinees on campus.
The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou is one of the most influential academies for fine arts in the nation. The entrance examination for undergraduates was held earlier this month. A record high of more than 89,000 candidates participated.
"The school had to 'borrow' 300 teachers from a nearby college so they had enough staff to monitor those taking the examinations," says Jin Xiaoyi, a publicity official of the China Academy of Art.
The academy only plans on accepting 1,665 students.
The most popular and competitive major, art design, has an applicant-to-enrollment ratio of 100:1.
Actually, the craze started early.
One month ago, Dalian No. 15 Middle School, a high school known for its art education in Dalian, Liaoning Province, sent 400 students to Hangzhou to take the examination. Their entourage included 300 teachers and parents.
They rented a 20-plus-story hotel near the Xiangshan campus of the China Academy of Art, where the exam took place, and chartered 22 buses to shuttle students between the hotel and the campus.
After they finished the examination, they headed to Beijing to take the entrance examinations at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Art and Design Academy at Tsinghua University.
Some individual students came to Hangzhou much earlier for intensive training in exclusive studios.
Three months ago, Zheng, who started studying art at the age of 12, flew from her hometown Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to Hangzhou for intensive training at a private painting studio near Xiangshan campus.
Other students from around the country have been staying at the studio since last summer.
The six-story studio features two floors of classrooms. The other floors are dormitories. It offers training and accommodation to students trying to enter the China Academy of Art.
This year, the studio had accommodated approximately 700 students.
To study in a studio before taking the examination is considered a necessity for many examinees. There are dozens of painting studios in remote Zhuantang Town, where Xiangshan campus is located. Advertisements for these studios are posted all around town.
Some of these studios are built in abandoned factories and some are in residential complexes.
Most of the teachers in these studios are students or graduates of the China Academy of Art. Some feature a teacher from the academy although this is rare.
Behind the craze
So far, 37,000 students who registered in Hangzhou have completed the test. The others will take examinations in six other cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.
This is the first year that the academy has arranged an examination site in Lanzhou, which has contributed to the increase in applicants, especially those from west China.
Also, since the examination has merged the preliminary test and second-round test, more examinees are lured.
However, some candidates take the exam because they want to go to a good college, not necessarily because they have a passion for art.
According to the China Academy of Art, its recruitment standard is based upon marks on the academy's art test as well as from the annual China college entrance examination.
The threshold for marks on the college entrance examination is much lower than the requirements at other universities.
Last year, the threshold was above 300 points, while most universities require 550. The highest mark possible is 750.
Zhou Hong, a China Academy of Art graduate and now an art teacher, says: "Half of my students choose to study art as they found their marks are not good enough to go to an ordinary university.
Some turned to art one year before the college entrance examination and some just grab a brush two or three months before the art test.
"Even if some leading art colleges have higher requirements on the art test, they can still try to enroll at regular art academies," he adds.
Like the students from Dalian No. 15 Middle School, most choose to try different colleges around the nation.
"Three or four is not much, seven or eight is common, a dozen is understandable," says Zhou.
Their desire to enter college reflects a longing for a good job.
Wu Li, one of Zhou's students, says: "My parents paid a lot of money for my art courses, and they expect I can earn it back in the future. Therefore the first step for me is to enter a reputable art university.
"I know it is against the essence of art, but that's the reality," she adds.
So, does graduating from a good art college guarantee a fancy job?
Considering there are so many graduates now working as teachers to train examinees, the answer is debatable.
Standing in front of the China Academy of Art, 19-year-old Zheng Ying grasps the straps of her bag that contains several drawing kits. Her hands are sweating despite the frosty weather. After a deep breath, the young woman enters a crowd of examinees on campus.
The China Academy of Art in Hangzhou is one of the most influential academies for fine arts in the nation. The entrance examination for undergraduates was held earlier this month. A record high of more than 89,000 candidates participated.
"The school had to 'borrow' 300 teachers from a nearby college so they had enough staff to monitor those taking the examinations," says Jin Xiaoyi, a publicity official of the China Academy of Art.
The academy only plans on accepting 1,665 students.
The most popular and competitive major, art design, has an applicant-to-enrollment ratio of 100:1.
Actually, the craze started early.
One month ago, Dalian No. 15 Middle School, a high school known for its art education in Dalian, Liaoning Province, sent 400 students to Hangzhou to take the examination. Their entourage included 300 teachers and parents.
They rented a 20-plus-story hotel near the Xiangshan campus of the China Academy of Art, where the exam took place, and chartered 22 buses to shuttle students between the hotel and the campus.
After they finished the examination, they headed to Beijing to take the entrance examinations at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Art and Design Academy at Tsinghua University.
Some individual students came to Hangzhou much earlier for intensive training in exclusive studios.
Three months ago, Zheng, who started studying art at the age of 12, flew from her hometown Shenzhen in Guangdong Province to Hangzhou for intensive training at a private painting studio near Xiangshan campus.
Other students from around the country have been staying at the studio since last summer.
The six-story studio features two floors of classrooms. The other floors are dormitories. It offers training and accommodation to students trying to enter the China Academy of Art.
This year, the studio had accommodated approximately 700 students.
To study in a studio before taking the examination is considered a necessity for many examinees. There are dozens of painting studios in remote Zhuantang Town, where Xiangshan campus is located. Advertisements for these studios are posted all around town.
Some of these studios are built in abandoned factories and some are in residential complexes.
Most of the teachers in these studios are students or graduates of the China Academy of Art. Some feature a teacher from the academy although this is rare.
Behind the craze
So far, 37,000 students who registered in Hangzhou have completed the test. The others will take examinations in six other cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Lanzhou in Gansu Province.
This is the first year that the academy has arranged an examination site in Lanzhou, which has contributed to the increase in applicants, especially those from west China.
Also, since the examination has merged the preliminary test and second-round test, more examinees are lured.
However, some candidates take the exam because they want to go to a good college, not necessarily because they have a passion for art.
According to the China Academy of Art, its recruitment standard is based upon marks on the academy's art test as well as from the annual China college entrance examination.
The threshold for marks on the college entrance examination is much lower than the requirements at other universities.
Last year, the threshold was above 300 points, while most universities require 550. The highest mark possible is 750.
Zhou Hong, a China Academy of Art graduate and now an art teacher, says: "Half of my students choose to study art as they found their marks are not good enough to go to an ordinary university.
Some turned to art one year before the college entrance examination and some just grab a brush two or three months before the art test.
"Even if some leading art colleges have higher requirements on the art test, they can still try to enroll at regular art academies," he adds.
Like the students from Dalian No. 15 Middle School, most choose to try different colleges around the nation.
"Three or four is not much, seven or eight is common, a dozen is understandable," says Zhou.
Their desire to enter college reflects a longing for a good job.
Wu Li, one of Zhou's students, says: "My parents paid a lot of money for my art courses, and they expect I can earn it back in the future. Therefore the first step for me is to enter a reputable art university.
"I know it is against the essence of art, but that's the reality," she adds.
So, does graduating from a good art college guarantee a fancy job?
Considering there are so many graduates now working as teachers to train examinees, the answer is debatable.
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