Named a ‘Style of the Times’ arts volunteer by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, then sharing her volunteer story in Chengdu

To cultivate and practise the core socialist values, promote the spirit of volunteering, foster a culture of volunteering and let outstanding examples of literary and art volunteer service lead by example, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) organised the 2026 'Style of the Times' (Shidai Fengshang) Literary and Art Volunteer selection and publicity programme. After nominations by CFLAC member organisations, selection by a nominating committee and public notice, 20 'Style of the Times' Literary and Art Volunteers were chosen. (The full list follows.)

Ruxianguli — National Class-A Performer, vice-president of the Guangdong Acrobats Association and fourth-generation inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Fu-family Illusion — was named a 2026 'Style of the Times' Literary and Art Volunteer.

This is full recognition of more than forty years of holding to her artistic ideals, staying rooted at the grassroots and devoting herself to literary and art volunteer service, and it reflects the sense of responsibility of Guangdong's literary and art workers in putting the people first and serving society and the public.

Magic as a Bridge: Bringing Art Closer to the People

Ruxianguli is a National Class-A Performer, fourth-generation inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Fu-family Illusion, and a recipient of the State Council special government allowance. She currently serves as vice-director of the Magic Art Committee of the China Acrobats Association, vice-president of the Guangdong Acrobats Association, part-time vice-president of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles and president of the Shenzhen Acrobats Association.

Her honours include Guangdong Province Young and Middle-aged Artist of Virtue and Artistry and 'Top Ten International Magicians', as well as international awards such as the Monte-Carlo Magic Stars award in Monaco and the Merlin Award for Best Female Illusionist from the International Magicians Society of the United States.

In more than forty years of acrobatics and magic, Ruxianguli has always put the people first and made volunteer service part of her artistic practice. In her early years in Xinjiang she travelled with her troupe to pastoral areas, mining districts, army camps and schools, bringing acrobatics and magic to people of every ethnic group.

After moving to Shenzhen in 1998, she worked to develop magic locally, leading fellow artists into communities, schools and social welfare institutions for public-benefit performances, so that people could experience the charm of magic on their own doorsteps.

Ruxianguli at a goodwill performance, bringing joy to people at the grassroots

Culture that Nurtures: Warming Hearts with Sincerity

Over her long years of volunteer service, Ruxianguli founded the 'Magic of Love Action' volunteer magic team, visiting social welfare homes many times to bring joy and warmth to the elderly and to children.

After the Wenchuan earthquake she went to Wenchuan, Shifang and other stricken areas to take part in the 'Friendship of the Heart, Return of Joy' relief performances, using magic as a vehicle for artistic and psychological comfort and helping survivors ease their minds and regain confidence through imaginative, joyful shows.

She has also taken an active part in Guangdong's 'Red Literary and Art Light Cavalry' and other grassroots performances for the public, setting up stages in communities and villages to bring quality art to the people. For her, magic is not only a stage art but a bridge that connects hearts and carries warmth.

Ruxianguli at a Guangdong 'Red Literary and Art Light Cavalry' Spring Festival grassroots performance

A Heart for the Frontier: Art that Fosters Exchange and Integration

As an artist who came out of Xinjiang, Ruxianguli has always cared about cultural development on the frontier. She has travelled many times to Kashgar and elsewhere in Xinjiang to give lectures, train talent and arrange programmes, promoting the training of local acrobatics and magic talent and the building of professional organisations.

To ease the shortage of performance materials in frontier troupes, she reached out to acrobatic troupes across the country to collect props and costumes for them. She also donated a complete set of props for a large and medium-scale magic gala to the Dawaz Art Heritage Centre of Yengisar County, Kashgar, and took part in training and programme arrangement, helping to create Pengjiang Moyun, Xinjiang's first complete magic gala.

From Shenzhen to Kashgar, she has built bridges through art, helping to enrich the cultural life of people on the frontier and to foster exchange and integration among all ethnic groups.

Ruxianguli with children of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang

A Ladder for Others: Building a Stage for Young Talent

Ruxianguli has long cared about the growth of young magicians. She serves as adviser to magic clubs at Shenzhen University and other universities, going onto campuses year after year to lecture, train and coach rehearsals. She has built exchange platforms for university magic clubs across Guangdong, giving young magic enthusiasts chances to perform, learn and connect with the profession.

Under her training and guidance, a group of young magicians including Liu Bei, Hu Linglong, An Na, Zuli, Aihemaiti, Xin Yafei and Guzali have come to the fore, winning top results at professional competitions at home and abroad and gradually becoming a backbone of China's magic profession.

Ruxianguli teaching magic and interacting with students on campus

Art that Speaks to the Heart: Telling China's Story to the World

While rooted in volunteer service at home, Ruxianguli has also taken an active part in international cultural exchange, travelling several times to Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Vanuatu and other countries to perform and exchange, bringing Chinese magic with its Eastern flavour overseas.

Using art as her medium, she has engaged sincerely with people of different countries and regions, showing the distinctive charm of Chinese culture in performance after performance and contributing to friendship between the peoples of China and other countries.

Ruxianguli with local children during an overseas cultural exchange

For more than forty years Ruxianguli has kept the people at the centre of her work, staying active at the grassroots, serving the public and carrying warmth through the art of magic, and contributing to the cultural nourishing of Xinjiang, ethnic unity, the training of talent and cultural exchange between China and the world — a vivid example of the responsibility and spirit of Guangdong's literary and art workers in the new era.

Her selection as a 2026 'Style of the Times' Literary and Art Volunteer is full recognition of her long devotion to volunteer service. The Guangdong Literary and Art Volunteers Association will let outstanding volunteers lead by example, uniting and guiding literary and art workers to go deep into life and stay rooted among the people, carrying out varied and substantial volunteer services, meeting the public's cultural needs with quality work and contributing to the high-quality development of Guangdong's literature and art.

China News Service, Chengdu, 13 October (Wang Liwen). ‘Style of the Times — Literary and Art Volunteers in Action 2026’, a special programme, was staged in Chengdu on the 13th. The event was organised by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the China Literary and Art Volunteers Association and the Publicity Department of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee.

Carrying out the CFLAC’s ‘Strengthening the Foundations’ programme, the show opened with a prelude, ‘Voice of the Times’, unfolded in three main chapters — ‘Action First’, ‘Echoes of Mountains and Rivers’ and ‘Where the Heart Leads’ — and closed with an epilogue, ‘Setting the Trend’, turning ideas into a moving live performance and showcasing what arts volunteering has achieved in both bringing culture to communities and helping it take root there. The stories of the 2025 national ‘Four 100s’ outstanding volunteer models and the 2026 ‘Style of the Times’ literary and art volunteers ran through the programme: Liu Lanfang, Ding Liuyuan, Wang Kai, Fan Jianchuan, He Jialin, Ruxianguli, Chen Yuxiu, Duan Jiujun, Zhou Bo and other role models told their own stories of arts volunteering, setting an example that promotes the volunteer spirit and leads the ethos of the times.

The performance. Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee

The programme was co-hosted by Zhang Lei, Wong Cho-lam, Zhang Tao and Chen Jingjing. Arts volunteers including Yin Xiumei, Wulantuya, Ding Liuyuan, Hu Haiquan, Liu Hegang, Wang Lida, Jamyang Dolma, Dai Tao, Ma Wei, Huang Ling, Zeng Lian, Sun Chubo and Chen Bingrui performed in turn: songs such as ‘Bashi De Ban’, ‘Love Between Heaven and Earth’ and ‘Being There’, Sichuan qingyin ballad singing, a folk-instrument ensemble of ‘The Sun Comes Out, Full of Joy’, and a recitation of ‘Where the Heart Leads’.

‘On Fertile Soil’ was performed by Ma Wei, a winner at the first China Music Golden Bell Awards, together with Dai Tao. Offstage, Ma Wei spoke of why she volunteers: going to the grassroots, staying close to the front line and bringing art to ordinary people is simply part of an artist’s job. She hoped the performance would carry good wishes to everyone for a happy working life and an enjoyable life. On Chengdu’s deep musical roots, musician Hu Haiquan recalled that when he was just starting out he spent a lot of time in the city’s music bars, and watched many local musicians go from the side streets to the national stage. With so many art schools here producing musical talent, he hopes the city will keep building platforms where musicians can meet and grow, so that more musical seeds can take root and flourish.

Wulantuya was just as struck by Chengdu’s rich artistic atmosphere. Between rehearsals on this trip she paid close attention to the city’s street culture and nightlife, and said Chengdu is both easy to live in and full of artistic flavour, a place that nourishes people’s taste and feelings. At the venue, the young people strolling around Eastern Suburb Memory and the lively, vibrant city around it let her feel the energy of Chengdu’s trend culture. She hopes to hold a solo concert in Chengdu one day and sing together with local audiences, and that the city will keep producing diverse works of art so more people can come to understand it through music.

Drawing on Sichuan’s local revolutionary heritage and the cultural depth of Tianfu, and on the distinctive industrial-heritage character of Eastern Suburb Memory, the programme blended traditional forms of artistic expression with contemporary taste, showing the rich results of artists going to the grassroots to gather material and create. A north–south live link, ‘Village Songs Ring Out’, connected grassroots choirs in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang and Luding, Sichuan, and arts volunteers shared the stage with grassroots square-dance troupes and village-song teams. The programme will later be broadcast on television and major online platforms, further extending the reach of the ‘Style of the Times’ national arts volunteering brand. (End)