The China Art Museum, Shanghai is housed in the former China Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo. The architecture of the colossal inverted pyramid-shaped building is inspired by Chinese corbel bracket and ancient bronze sacrificial vessels. Soaring 70 metres into the sky, it covers 166,000 square metres with 64,000 square metres of display area for its collection of some 14,000 masterpieces showcasing modern and contemporary art of China. This is also home to the Animated Scroll, a gigantic multi-media projection of the famed painting “Along the River during Qingming Festival” capturing a day in bustling riverside town Bianjing (modern day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty. (Read more in another post on this site).   There are 27 galleries, several of which are devoted to permanent exhibits tracing the history of Chinese modern and contemporary art, masterworks of star painters and sculptors, and 21st century Chinese art. Other halls are used for staging themed events...

The Animated Scroll is located in its own gallery within the China Art Museum in the iconic inverted pyramid-shaped building that was the China Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The Animated Scroll is based on the painting “Along the River during Qingming Festival” depicting the streetscape of Bianjing (modern day Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty. This painted freeze-frame of the everyday life of the city folk by the Bian River has been animated and projected onto a huge screen, providing a glimpse into a bygone era. It features 814 characters, more than 60 horses, camels, mules, cows, pigs and other animals, 28 boats and 20 vehicles, with lighting changing from day to night every few minutes for heightened dramatic effect.  The original scroll by Zhang Zeduan (1085-1145) measures  529 x 25 cm, and is a national treasure housed in the National Palace Museum, Beijing and on show periodically. Memento copies are available from the gallery store.  Not...

The Hibiscus Collection: This design features a new interpretation of the Hibiscus that flowers in sunny Singapore, and many species are on show in the famed Botanic Gardens and the Gardens by the Bay. While visitors marvel at the beauty and glamour of orchids grown here, it is the native Hibiscus that occupies a special pride of place in local culture as the “Bunga Raya” or “Flower of Celebration”. Available in different styles and colours. Check it out  here. © Tan Choon Hong 2017. All rights reserved. Image © zazzle.com The Vanda Miss Joaquim Collection: This design is inspired by Singapore’s national flower – the Vanda Miss Joaquim, a hybrid orchid crossbred by Singapore-born Armenian horticulturist Agnes Joaquim in the 1800s.  Available in different styles and colours. Check it out  here . © Tan Choon Hong 2017. All rights reserved. Image © Zazzle.com Chai Tau Kueh T-Shirt: Singapore Street Fo...

Singapore Chai Tau Kueh - Light Fabric T-shirt by virtuocity Design a unique photo shirt online at Zazzle.

The Jing’an Sculpture Park is sited on sprawling landscaped grounds offering large and small outdoor spaces for sculptural expression of various scale. Paved walkways and shady trees help provide some separation between the displays, with colourful flower beds and fountains lending a little softness to some of the edgy works in steel and stone. In the evening the sculptures are floodlit, presenting the works in a different light.  The sculptures are either part of the permanent collection, or are pieces specially installed for periodic shows. Some of those seen here are exhibits of the Shanghai Jing’an International Sculpture Project (JISP) Biennale 2014 under the theme “City Paradise,” focusing on “animals, nature and the urban fabric.” 59 pieces are assembled showcasing the works of 15 international artists from 11 countries, and 5 local masters. On one side of the park is the new Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by Perkins + Will, featuring a nautilus-like spiral la...

Dongping National Forest Park is located on Chongming Island lying on the estuary of the Yangtze River and just an hour away from downtown Shanghai, with water crossing by ferry or the spectacular Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge. Chongming Island is the site of the Dongtan Eco-City, an ambitious project designed to create a sustainable future city in harmony with the island’s reputation as a nature lover’s retreat. In this setting of wetlands teeming with migratory birds, luxuriant vegetation, farmlands and pastoral life is the Dongping National Forest Reserve, a man-made forest park offering outdoor recreation like camping and BBQs, rock climbing, water sports, horse riding, fruit picking and other back-to-nature activities for young and old. Occupying 3.5 sq km the park can take several hours to cover, but bicycle rentals, trams rides and refreshment stations provide welcome relief.  Those with time to spare can visit other attractions on Chongming Island like the eco-v...