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The Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has launched an exhibition on 100 pieces of calligraphic works from the Tang to the Qing Dynasty contributed by Bei Shan Tang.  The exhibition, named ‘The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Calligraphy’, is open to the public from today till November for free, showing visitors the aesthetics and culture of Chinese calligraphy.  Bei Shan Tang is the name of a private studio of the late Dr. Lee Jung Sen, which houses an extensive collection of Chinese art pieces and antiquities. It is especially renowned for its outstanding collection of Chinese calligraphy and paintings, most of which have been contributed to the Art Museum at CUHK.  In order to showcase the collection of Bei Shan Tang to the public in a comprehensive way, the Art Museum has planned a series of themed exhibitions, of which ‘The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Calligraphy’ is the first one jointly organized with the Department of Fine Arts.

Chinese calligraphy possesses astounding beauty as well as profound cultural legacy. Apart from skills and stylistic changes, notable calligraphic works further reflect the rise and fall of a dynasty, the artist’s personality, cultivation and even social life.

The exhibition features in two phases 100 pieces of calligraphic works from the Tang to the Qing Dynasty, including Buddhist sutras, poems, letters, couplets, essays  manuscripts and so on.  Among the highlights are the precious handwritings of the Chinese emperor, exquisite works of esteemed calligraphers such as Ni Zan, Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhengming and Dong Qichang, along with calligraphic works from Guangdong artists.  The exhibits of diversified categories and styles will show visitors a thorough picture of Chinese calligraphy from aesthetic and cultural aspects.

To complement the exhibition, the Art Museum and the Bei Shan Tang Foundation also jointly present an education gallery to arouse visitors’ interest in and enhance their basic understanding of the art of Chinese calligraphy.  A variety of public education programmes will also be launched, such as lecture series, guided tours, calligraphy workshops and demonstration.  For details, please visit http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/ics/amm/.  

The three-volume exhibition catalogue is now available.  It features eight essays and the introduction of the 100 entries in both Chinese and English, serving as an important reference for studying the Bei Shan Tang Collection and Chinese calligraphy.

Details of the ‘The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Calligraphy’ are as follows:

Attached: Six exhibit highlights