The store responded that the painter reported that Shanxi One Five Star Hotel had stolen multiple paintings to decorate the guest rooms | Agreed | Shanxi
On September 8th, painter Lian Da publicly reported that the Wanda Xin Qihu Ju Hotel located in Wuxiang County, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, used multiple of his works as decorative paintings without his consent, suspected of infringement. On the 10th, the hotel involved responded to Jimu News reporters by stating that it is currently holding a meeting to investigate the matter.
Painter reports hotel theft of multiple paintings
"On September 8th, painter Lian Da publicly reported on multiple platforms that the background wall of the guest rooms of Wanda Xin Qihu Ju Hotel in Wuxiang County, Shanxi Province, is decorated with a large area of my hand drawn Shanxi ancient architectural works. The number and size of the works are astonishing.". Lianda listed multiple room photos displayed on the hotel's website, as well as some original works such as "The Complete View of Shanhua Temple in Datong" and "The Panorama of Huayan Temple in Datong" for comparison. The photo shows the background painting in the hotel room, which is very similar to Lian Da's work.
Photos of guest rooms at Wuxiang Wanda Xinqi Huju Hotel. Lianda Weibo image
A painting by Lian Da. Lianda Weibo image
"My signature and seal were originally on the works, but they were intentionally removed. The use of these works was completely without my consent and there was no form of communication. As for whether there were other works that were stolen, further investigation is needed," Lian Da said.
According to public information, Lian Da was born in 1978 in Dalian and is a well-known ancient Chinese architectural painter. According to the Taiyuan Evening News in August 2022, when Lian Da was young, he traveled to Shanxi and was fascinated by the ancient buildings, villages, and houses here. For over twenty years thereafter, he came to Shanxi every year and created over 2500 pen and pencil sketches, documenting the historical style of ancient architecture and expressing his sincere love for traditional culture.
On September 8th, Lian Da wrote in a reported blog post, "I took out my own pocket and tightened my belt to travel to various parts of Shanxi to paint portraits of ancient buildings in Shanxi, and to record and promote endangered ancient buildings in Shanxi. However, in Shanxi, from ancient architectural scenic spots, food production enterprises to chain restaurants and small shops on the street, there have been countless cases of stealing my works, reaching the point of reaching out and not avoiding them. They are giving back to me in this way." He said that the Wanda Xinqi Lake Residence Hotel in Wuxiang County may not be the last one, but it is the heaviest and most exaggerated one so far.
Some netizens speculate that the hotel may have bought the painting from which institution? Lian Da said, "Even if I buy it, it's illegal because I have never authorized any website to sell the aforementioned works."
The hotel responded that they are investigating this matter
According to the official WeChat account of Wuxiang Wanda Xinqihu Ju Hotel, the hotel is the first commissioned management hotel project established by Jinye Group in cooperation with Wanda Hotels and Resorts, with 96 rooms. The official room photos released by the store show that there are ancient architectural paintings similar to those reported by Lianda hanging in multiple rooms, and similar paintings are also found in the room photos released by the exploration blogger.
Outdoor view of Wanda Heart Lake Residence Hotel in Wuxiang. Hotel official WeChat image
On the afternoon of September 10th, a journalist from Jimu News called the Wanda Xinqihu Ju Hotel in Wuxiang. The staff introduced that the hotel had a trial operation in May this year and officially opened on September 8th, making it the first five-star hotel in the local area. The store has noticed the situation reported by the painter Lianda, and not all guest rooms have this kind of ancient architectural painting hanging, only the parent-child room has it. As for how these paintings came about and whether they were used without Lianda's permission, the staff member stated that they are not clear. Currently, the hotel leadership is in a meeting to discuss and investigate this matter, and the results will be announced to the public.
On September 10th, Jimu News reporter contacted Lianda himself but was unsuccessful.
Lawyer Chen Liang from Hubei Haolu Law Firm believes that if the hotel uses the painting without the author's consent, it would infringe on the author's copyright. The author can negotiate with the hotel for resolution or file a lawsuit to protect their rights.
