Masterpieces in Lingnan: Calligraphy and Painting Special Exhibition of Song and Yuan Dynasties is a major exhibition specially curated by the Guangdong Museum to mark the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It ran from August 19 to November 27, 2022 in the special exhibition hall on the 3rd floor. Drawing on “collections of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting in Guangdong”, the exhibition brings together, for the first time, masterpieces housed in cultural institutions in Lingnan region, and loans selected works once collected by Guangdong connoisseurs of the Qing dynasty—such as Wu Rongguang and Kong Guangtao—from the Palace Museum and other institutions. Featuring treasures from eight museums—including the Guangdong Museum, Palace Museum, Nanjing Museum, the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangzhou Museum of Art, Foshan Museum, and Shantou Museum—this is a rare large-scale exhibition of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting and the first such thematic exhibition ever held by museums and cultural institutions in Guangdong. It represents the museum’s commitment to enlivening cultural heritage and promoting cultural integration in the Greater Bay Area.

In May 2022, the exhibition was selected by the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration as an exemplary project under the theme “Promoting Outstanding Chinese Traditional Culture and Nurturing Core Socialist Values”.

Exhibition Structure

Based on the two fundamentals of "Guangdong Collections" and "Song and Yuan Calligraphy and Painting," the exhibition approaches the subject from three angles: the masterpieces of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting and their aesthetic consciousness; the tradition and achievements of Guangdong connoisseurship of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting; and the influence and inspiration of these classics on later generations. The exhibition is divided into three parts: "Treasures Preserved in Lingnan: The Spirit of Song and Yuan," "Southern Connoisseurship: Traces of Guangdong," and "Enduring Legacy: Influence on Posterity."

Part I, "Treasures Preserved in Lingnan: The Spirit of Song and Yuan," is further divided into five sections based on content, theme, and artist: "Dragons Soaring in the Nine Heavens: An Interpretation of Chen Rong's Dragon Paintings," "Pure Sound of Nature: Transformations in Landscape Art," "Virtuous Forms: Bamboo and Orchid as Moral Metaphors," "Embracing the Three Teachings: Chinese Painting and Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism," and "The Elegance of Songxue: The Art of Zhao Mengfu." 

Part II, "Southern Connoisseurship: Traces of Guangdong," is divided into two sections based on connoisseurship, creation, and the artists' relationship with Lingnan: "Revisiting Old Masterpieces: Connoisseurship of Famous Masters" and "Fragments of Brilliance: Works by Guangdong Literati."

Part III, "Enduring Legacy: Influence on Posterity," is divided into two sections based on authenticity and creative purpose: "Inheritance of Classics: Paradigms for Later Generations" and "A Different Inheritance: 'Fine Imitations'."

Multiple Firsts

First-ever Song–Yuan themed exhibition in Guangdong. The Song and Yuan dynasties were the pinnacle of Chinese artistic development. These works are precious cultural treasures of the Chinese nation. Having survived for so long, few remain, and they are rarely seen, yet they are still models for study and copying today. Therefore, holding a large-scale, high-specification Song and Yuan exhibition is exceptionally rare. First comprehensive presentation of Song/Yuan calligraphy and painting from Lingnan collections. Historically, the famous connoisseurs of Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have been well-known, while Guangdong's connoisseurship seemed slightly less prominent. We believe this exhibition will inspire more scholars and public to pay attention to Guangdong's connoisseurship, thereby promoting Guangdong and Lingnan culture. Since the 1950s, Guangdong's cultural institutions have worked to acquire and collect a number of authentic Song and Yuan works. Although the total number is not large, it still holds a place among provincial museums. However, due to conservation, venue conditions, and other factors, these works have only appeared sporadically in various exhibitions and have never been displayed together. Thus, this comprehensive presentation is uniquely significant. First academic review of Guangdong collectors through centuries. Based on the two fundamentals of "Guangdong Collections" and "Song and Yuan Calligraphy and Painting," the exhibition approaches the subject from three angles: the masterpieces of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting and their aesthetic consciousness; the tradition and achievements of Guangdong connoisseurship of Song and Yuan calligraphy and painting; and the influence and inspiration of these classics on later generations. It deeply explores and highlights Lingnan's local cultural characteristics, emphasizing "Guangdong Collections" as never before. In the mid-to-late Qing, famous collectors represented by Wu Rongguang and Pan Zhengwei gathered a batch of Song and Yuan masterpieces in Guangdong. Although many of these works later flowed out of Guangdong and scattered around the world, their history of connoisseurship has already forged an indissoluble bond between these works and Guangdong. This exhibition is the first to systematically chronicle and present Guangdong's collectors through centuries, their collections, their colophons, and their model-books, which is of great significance for promoting regional cultural research.

A Gathering of Masterpieces

The exhibition brings together over 50 pieces/sets of Song and Yuan calligraphy, painting, and related relics from 8 institutions, including Guangdong Museum, Palace Museum, Nanjing Museum, the Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Museum of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangzhou Museum of Art, Foshan Museum, and Shantou Museum, with first-grade cultural relics accounting for more than half. The Guangdong Museum presents all its treasures, including Chen Rong's Ink Dragon Scroll and Zhao Mengfu's Cursive Script of An Epigraph of My Humble Home. The Song-dynasty rubbing of the Preface of the Orchid Pavilion (Wang Yan version), once in the collections of Wu Rongguang and Kong Guangtao, and the Southern Song semi-cursive script of the Taici Tie by Zhang Jizhi, once in Pan Shicheng's collection, are revisiting Guangdong. The two earliest extant calligraphy works by Guangdong natives, Liu Fang's colophon and Bai Yuchan's cursive script Zuxuan Ming, are "coming home" for the first time. The scrolls Clear Skies over Myriad Peaks and Wild Geese on a Sandbank, donated by Wu Nansheng, are reunited at GDM. The Streams and Mountains, a half scroll of Huang Gongwang’s landscape, which was collated by Yun Shouping and was Yong Geng's most prized treasure, is also grandly presented.

Scene-Based Exhibition Design

The exhibition design, starting from "Song and Yuan aesthetics," focuses on constructing and creating an immersive visiting environment. To make the route more comfortable and rational, physical scenes and interactive spaces are designed in multiple locations, and various technologies such as multimedia and projection are used to create a three-dimensional aesthetic space, allowing the visitor to feel as if they are personally experiencing the artistic charm and period features of Song and Yuan art. 

Immersive Performances

During the opening ceremony and the exhibition, the Guangdong Museum and the Guangdong Modern Dance Company are collaborating to present an original "immersive performance." The brilliant dance choreographed by the company, inspired by exhibits like the Ink Dragon Scroll, as well as classical music played on the guqin, pipa, and other instruments, together with the artifacts that have survived hundreds or even thousands of years, will offer the audience a cross-disciplinary audio-visual experience of "viewing the exhibition, listening to music, and enjoying the dance." "Artifacts, music, and dance" are integrated for the first time at GDM.

Highlights of the Exhibition

Highlights  Exhibition Views