“Ultimate Beauty Originating from the East,” an exhibition which constructs an Eastern aesthetic paradigm through scene creation and immersive experiences, raised its curtain at the Baoku Culture Center inside the iconic Shanghai Tower in the Pudong New Area over the weekend.
Eastern aesthetics, once a global fashion benchmark, encompasses cultural connotations of philosophy, religion, morality, and natural views.
With its unique spiritual core, aesthetic concepts, and forms of expression, it demonstrates the ancients’ practice and understanding of the beauty of life and the humanistic spirit.
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The exhibition selects five major categories – jade, Ming-style furniture, lacquerware, Song porcelain, and kesi (silk tapestry) from traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
The trend of “guochao (China-chic)” has penetrated all aspects of life.
As a master of Eastern aesthetics, traditional Chinese craftsmanship has been formulated over thousands of years with brilliant miracles in terms of cultural context, aesthetic thinking, design language, and craftsmanship details.
The exhibition selects five major categories – jade, Ming-style furniture, lacquerware, Song porcelain, and kesi (silk tapestry) from traditional Chinese craftsmanship, presenting a visual feast of art treasures that crosses over the four major Eastern aesthetic values of “purity, tranquility, harmony, and elegance.”
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Visitors observe the exhibits.
The Song Dynasty (960-1279) is a unique aesthetic period in Chinese history. From the perspective of the history of Eastern aesthetics, the literati class in the Song Dynasty played a leading role in cultural life, and diancha (making finely ground powder from processed green tea), flower arranging, incense burning, and painting hanging they advocated are collectively known as the “Four Elegance of the Song Dynasty.”
They elevate daily life to the realm of art, which is highly consistent with the contemporary pursuit of life aesthetics.
A series of activities centering on the “Four Elegance of the Song Dynasty” will be held on summer weekends, inviting the audience to appreciate the profound cultural heritage in an immersive way.
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Exploring the development and charm of Eastern culture and art, the exhibition is jointly hosted by Shanghai Baoku and CR Land which has been dedicated to the protection, repair, and revival of architecture in Shanghai’s laochengxiang, or literally “old downtown,” in recent years with an Eastern architectural aesthetics approach, in a crossover collaboration.
The display also features 206 pieces of jade jewelry by Hong Kong craftsmen with a heritage of generations. The application of old materials coupled with their persistent pursuit of craftsmanship and exquisite skills makes each piece radiate an unrepeatable artistic brilliance.
“I believe traditional Chinese culture embodies Eastern aesthetics, and we expect the young people will pass on the traditional culture of China from generation to generation,” said Zhao Kangwei, director of Shanghai International Cultural Exchange Association.
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A setting of diancha as part of the exhibition.
If you go
Date: 10am-6pm, through October 24
Venue: Baoku Culture Center, 37th Floor, Shanghai Tower
Address: 501 Yincheng Rd M.,the Pudong New Area
宝库文化中心,上海中心大厦37F, 上海市浦东新区银城中路501号
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A showcase of jade jewelry.
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A study room of ancient times is replicated.
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