The must-visit Republican 'Red House' in Guilin, a cultural landmark of Guilin's resistance during the war

The Guangxi Provincial Art Gallery, adjacent to the Banyan Lake scenic area, was established under the supervision of Ouyang Yuqian in 1944. It is a cultural landmark of Guilin's resistance during the war, and also China's 'first great theater architecture'. The Guangxi Provincial Art Gallery was founded in 1940, and its architecture was designed by Qian Nairen in 1943. With red walls and green tiles, the building combines Chinese and Western styles, and the relief was designed and created by the famous artist Liu Jian'an. Because of its strong Republican atmosphere, it has become a popular spot for photography and social media check-ins. In May 1938, Ouyang Yuqian was invited by Ma Junwu to Guilin to reform Guilin opera. In November 1943, Ouyang Yuqian, the director of the Guangxi Provincial Art Gallery, along with Tian Han, Qu Baiyin, and others, organized the 'Southwest Drama Exhibition' here. Within more than 90 days, over a hundred plays were performed, including spoken drama, Peking opera, Guilin opera, puppet shows, martial arts, and circus acts, attracting over 150,000 audience members. This event became an unprecedented grand occasion in the history of Chinese theater. The moon over the Li River, how many times it has shone upon the rising and falling tides. At the end of 1946, the Guangxi Provincial Art Gallery was rebuilt once again. It is China's first professional spoken drama theater, a cultural fortress, and also a spiritual Great Wall. Having withstood nearly eighty years of trials and tribulations, it has been listed as the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units. The Guangxi Provincial Art Gallery is currently the only remaining theater from the wartime period that hosted drama performances, and it is also China's earliest comprehensive social art education institution that integrates drama, fine arts, and music.