Baotou Art Museum. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A city once renowned for its blazing furnaces is now radiating artistic brilliance. At the Baotou Art Museum, more than 150 works by five renowned Baotou-born artists, including Yang Feiyun and Jiang Wei, have captured the public's imagination. These exhibitions are drawing admiration as well as new audiences, reflecting the city's expanding cultural influence.

Over the years, Baotou has produced more than 60 national-level and over 100 provincial-level fine art masters. In 2024 alone, Baotou Art Museum held 24 curated exhibitions, attracting over 160,000 visitors – a 63.2 percent increase year-over-year. July and August marked peak season, with over 500 visitors daily and double that on weekends.

Celebrities devoted to the rare earth industry are remembered at a local park. [Photo/Baotou news network]

Seventy years ago, with over 80,000 builders from across China, the city became a symbol of industrial determination. Today, that same spirit continues to shape Baotou's artistic renaissance.

Liu Jingui, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, credits Baotou for shaping both his character and his art. "This land made me who I am," he said. Now, Baotou is transforming its local stories into artistic legacies that are shared far and wide.