What's on

Ink exploration

Pathway to Art, an exhibition of classical paintings and oil works, shows artists who have, since the 1980s, striven to uphold ink traditions or explore Chinese approaches to oil painting. The exhibition, until July 18, at the Chinese Academy of Oil Painting, features prominent painters, including Jin Shangyi and Yang Feiyun, who are known for bringing the art form, which was introduced to the country more than a century ago by European missionaries, into a Chinese context. Their works, while retaining an academic, figurative tradition, attest to the aesthetics of Chinese culture, and the values and emotional needs of the domestic audience. The ink paintings on display show a different course in which painters try to invigorate the traditional style with an experimental spirit, like their predecessors did in the early 20th century.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.1704 Wenhua Xindajie, Gaobeidian, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Natural talent

The mountain-and-water genre of classical Chinese paintings was a major style adopted by ancient artists to celebrate the magnificence of natural landscapes. The paintings also expressed their visions of a perfect lifestyle, as well as views on relations between humans and nature and the role of cosmology. Magnificent Mountains& Rivers, an exhibition at the Shenyang Palace Museum, until Oct 20, shows selected centuries-old landscapes from its collection. Depicting natural wonders, relic sites and architecture, artists of previous generations not only shared the amazement of what they saw in journeys, they also added imagination to create a world in which they led a seclusive, serene and cultural life to achieve a mental state of perfection. Besides the ink paintings, the exhibition also shows other types of artifacts themed on landscapes, such as ceramics and carved lacquer objects.

8:30 am-5:30 pm, closed on Mondays. 171 Shenyang Lu, Shenhe district, Shenyang, Liaoning province. 024-2484-3001.

Joint display

Han Yu is an eminent painter and comic artist who has won several awards. Also, an arduous lover of Qi Baishi, one of the most prominent artists of 20th-century China, Han spent years studying and writing about Qi's art. In this regard, Beijing Fine Art Academy mounted an exhibition to juxtapose artworks by Qi and Han, now aged 90, to show a spiritual communication transgressing time. The ongoing exhibition, until Oct 8, shows selected paintings from the academy's collection of Qi's oeuvre and Han's comics, classical ink paintings, calligraphic works and books. It provides Han's perspectives into the creativity of Qi and the Chinese cultural traditions, opening a door for viewers to the core values of classical Chinese art.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 12 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nan Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

Sense of history

Lu Xun the noted writer and scholar started the New Woodcut Movement in the 1930s, encouraging young artists to use the form as a tool to give the masses a greater sense of knowledge, culture and revolutionary ideas. Among those devoted followers, Chen Yanqiao was a pioneer with dozens of excellent works which spoke on the plight of people and the fight for independence and revival. Call to Arms, an exhibition at Liu Haisu Art Museum, until July 18, reviews Chen's career utilizing woodcut engraving to address his concerns for the people and nation. Chen's works provide a sample of the revolution of modern Chinese art, marked by a humanistic spirit. As Chen once said: "An artist must understand history and people. He must be a heroic spokesperson for people."

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1609 Yan'an Xi Lu, Shanghai. 021-6270-1018.