Elegant paintings, letters and calligraphic works made by members of a Chinese cultural group active in the early 1900s are on display at He Xiangning Art Museum. Entry is free.
An old postcard that Su Manshu sent to Zhang Shizhao.
The group, Southern Society (南社), founded in 1909 in Suzhou, was the largest literature and poetry organization in the 1900s. The society advocated the revolution against the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) imperial court and hoped to use literature to connect people and use the power of literature to promote revolution.
A letter that Huang Kan sent to Jiang Han.
The founding members were all from the Tongmenghui, predecessor of the Kuomintang. Chen Qubing (1874-1933), Gao Xu (1877-1925) and Liu Yazi (1887-1958) were three founders of the society. The society had many branches in different cities, such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shaoxing. It also expanded to Guangzhou and Shenyang, and similar associations have been established in Zhejiang, Liaoning, Guangdong and Jiangsu.
A letter that Ren Hong sent to Chen Xiaowei.
He Xiangning (1878-1972), a Chinese revolutionary, politician, painter and poet, and her husband, Liao Zhongkai, were also members of the Southern Society.
At the exhibition, visitors can admire not only the beauty of Chinese calligraphy but also the Southern Society members’ thoughts on life, art, philosophy and society. Chinese calligraphy brushes, ink, paper and stones are offered at the exhibition so visitors can write a letter to their friends or family members. They can also write on finely-printed postcards free of charge. He Xiangning Art Museum will then mail the letters and postcards. A book on writing a traditional Chinese letter is on hand at the writing corner to instruct visitors.
Visitors write letters with Chinese calligraphy brushes at He Xiangning Art Museum. Photos courtesy of the museum
Dates: Until May 31
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays
Venue: He Xiangning Art Museum, 9013 Shennan Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区深南大道9013号何香凝美术馆)
Metro: Line 1 to OCT Station (华侨城站), Exit C
