The Shanghai Museum East opened upgraded painting and calligraphy galleries on Nov 13, displaying several national treasures as well as works by renowned artists that have never before been shown to the public.

Covering 4,000 square meters, the new permanent exhibition halls feature 119 individual artworks and 196 sets of artworks from throughout Chinese history, with over 70 percent of the works making their debut.

Visitors have the chance to marvel at masterpieces selected from the museum's rich collection, such as calligraphy works by Wang Xizhi, Huai Su and Wang Xianzhi.

Paintings on display include Gaoyi Tu by Sun Wei from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and Xue Zhu Tu (Bamboos After Snow) by Xu Xi from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960).

In addition to ancient classics, the exhibition also has a section for modern calligraphy, which currently displays works by Luo Zhenyu, Liang Qichao, Master Hongyi, and other artists.

The painting gallery presents high-quality works by modern artists such as Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian, and Qi Baishi.

The museum uses the world's leading constant temperature and humidity technology to ensure that even the most fragile artworks can be displayed for six months.

It plans to rotate the exhibits every six months, with a total of 1,200 artworks set to be displayed over the next three years.

If you go

Venue: Shanghai Museum East

Address: No 1952 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area

Open: 10 am - 5:30 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.

Source: Shanghai Museum