Eminent artists' vision revives an ancient Chinese art of transparency and purity
Editor's Note
Architecture is frozen music, an epic of stone and a cultural monument. An art museum epitomizes this. In this "Art unfrozen: a journey through Shanghai's cultural monuments" series, we will guide you through an immersive experience, from the museum's special architectural style and gift shops to its cafeteria or coffee shops in the museum's neighborhood. Aiming to level up with the world's top museums such as the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and the Tate in London, art museums in Shanghai have been blossoming in the past decade. Visiting museums has become a lifestyle, a kind of social activity or recreation. The charm of an art museum permeates every corner. As well as the exhibitions inside, what else can visitors enjoy on a cozy weekend afternoon at a museum? Get ready for a museum trip!
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Opened in 2010, Liuli China Museum is the first comprehensive industry museum in China and Asia to showcase glass art.
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Background
The Liuli China Museum opened in 2010 is at 25 Taikang Road, the heart of the Tianzifang arts and crafts enclave. It is the first comprehensive industry museum in China and Asia to showcase glass art.
This Shanghai's sole Liuli (glass) arts museum was founded by eminent artists Loretta H. Yang and Chang Yi.
Chang is a renowned film director whose most famous works are a trilogy of films centred around a nuanced female lead character that he wrote and directed. His films contributed significantly to the Taiwan New Wave in cinema. Yang, his wife, is also well-known and received Best Actress awards from both the Golden Horse Awards and the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
In 1987, Chang and Yang left the entertainment industry together to found Liuligongfang – the first contemporary glass art studio in the Chinese-speaking world.
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Standing 14.7 meters tall and occupying 2,400 square meters, the museum is a unique venue for viewing art, research and education, reading, event promotion, shopping and dining.
Dong Jun -
Standing 14.7 meters tall and occupying 2,400 square meters, the museum is a unique venue for viewing art, research and education, reading, event promotion, shopping and dining.
Dong Jun
Liuli, the material, holds profound significance, is not only a path to bolster their culture and history by reviving an ancient Chinese art lost for two thousand years, but also a representation of Chinese Buddhist teachings. Advocating for the tranquil state of 'transparency and purity,' Liuli embodies the Eastern philosophy of "impermanence."
Standing 14.7 meters tall and occupying 2,400 square meters, the museum is a unique venue for viewing art, research and education, reading, event promotion, shopping and dining.
The museum contains over 262 pieces of Liuli artifacts from the Warring States to the Qing Dynasty. It also holds an extensive collection of Liuli from key international and domestic artists and Yang's anthology of Buddhist designs. Prestigious temporary exhibitions are held biannually.
Architecture Style
The museum is four floors high. The ground floor of the museum features a café, art gallery, and gift shop.
On entering the main exhibition areas on the second and third floors, visitors find themselves immersed in a vast narrative elucidating "The Story of Chinese Liuli."
In fact, the museum resembles Liuli itself.
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Advocating for the tranquil state of 'transparency and purity,' Liuli embodies the Eastern philosophy of "impermanence."
Dong Jun -
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Advocating for the tranquil state of 'transparency and purity,' Liuli embodies the Eastern philosophy of "impermanence."
During the day, two peonies fashioned from metal wires, camouflaged with cement around it to appear as a nondescript grey building. When the lights switch on around sunset, it transforms into an eye-catching artistic statement. Radiating light in all directions, the peonies dazzle as the colours shift from magenta to violet and emerald. It succeeds in drawing the eye even amidst the bustling nightlife of Shanghai. The colossal flowers were designed by Yang. Handmade from stainless steel wire and consisting of 5,025 petals, the stunning blossoms took three months to install and weigh 1.5 tons. They attract the visitors even before stepping into the museum.
The first floor of the museum is occupied by gallery, cafe, gift shop; the museum's second and third floors are the main exhibition areas, the heart of "the story of Chinese Liuli."
Cafeteria
There is a SeeSaw coffee shop on the first floor near the entrance. Visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee and watch the street scene outside on Taikang road. Different from other SeeSaw coffee shops in town, the one inside museum is quiet and cozy especially bathed in the sunlight through the French windows.
Gift Shop
The Liuli China Art Museum gift shop offers a series of art derivatives made in Liuli iuli varying from accessories and daily utensils to ornaments.
The top three on the list are
1. Auspiciousness Doubled
An ornament fused with elements of birds, fruits and branches, giving a blessing of luck and fortune.
2. In Unity
An ornament in shape of the figure eight with two fish swimming on top, rendering a message of fulfillment and harmony.
3. Uplift
The ornament features a upward spiraling dragon with power and vigor, indicating that all the challenges and difficulties could be covered just like the dragon that went through wind, rain, thunder and lightning.
If you go
Date: 10am-5pm (closed on Mondays)
Venue: Liuli China Art Museum
Address: 25 Taikang Rd 泰康路25號
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