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.  Note: Images of t

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 Food Series It

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 layout

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-villa

The China Peasant Painting Village is an art colony located in Jinshan county on the outskirts of Shanghai, about two hours drive from the city centre. Set in verdant environments and modelled on a typical farming community complete with streams and ponds, vegetable patches, orchards, and traditional farming equipment, its main purpose is to showcase peasant paintings by farmers living in the surrounding farmlands and beyond.  Between sowing and harvesting, farmers do have time on their hands. What better past-time for the artistically inclined than to pick up a brush and share the beauty of pastoral life with the urbanites outside. Scenes of daily life, fruit harvesting, festivals, farm animals and other rural subjects are depicted with simplicity of execution and vibrant colours in marked contrast to the ink and wash style of classical Chinese painting. The medium of choice is gouache (or poster colour) on paper though other media like oil and acrylic are gaining ground. At