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Age-old charm

Changzhou, Jiangsu province, is located in a prosperous region along the Yangtze River, and witnessed a boom in artistic creation during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The rich cultural atmosphere promoted the birth of several art groups, including the Changzhou School of Painting, founded by Yun Nantian, who came from a prominent local family. Yun developed an elegant and vibrant art style. His works celebrate the diversity of nature and render human characteristics to subjects. His style influenced many artists such as Qian Weicheng and Jiang Tingxi, two renowned Qing court painters. An exhibition, Lingering Appeal of Changzhou Painting School, is running at the National Art Museum of China through Dec 5. The show displays iconic paintings from Yun's oeuvre from the collections of this museum and Nanjing Museum, in Nanjing, Jiangsu, as well as works by other painters from the same school.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.

Cultural lineage

Li Keran is considered a preeminent Chinese artist of the 20th century for reforming classical Chinese paintings. His innovative spirit has been carried forward by younger generations of painters in the country. A Blessing to Have You, which is running at the National Art Museum of China through Nov 21, shows dozens of works by artists from the Li Keran Academy of Painting in Beijing, an institution committed to the study of Li's art. The exhibition reflects the artistic accumulation and cultural attainment of featured artists, and how the academy promotes Li's legacy and keeps Chinese art traditions alive.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.

Art educator

Simplicity, now on at the National Art Museum of China through Nov 21, celebrates the 70-year career of Cao Chunsheng as an artist and a teacher. On show are dozens of sketches and drawings, as well as five sculptures, to provide a microscopic view of Cao's solid art techniques. While studying at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Cao received guidance from Liu Kaiqu and Wang Linyi, two well-established sculptors. Cao also went to Russia to further his studies in sculpture in I. Repin St. Petersburg State Academy Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.

Painting tigers

Meng Xiangshun is known for his passion of painting tigers. Hear the King of the Jungle Roar, an exhibition at the National Art Museum of China through Nov 21, shows his paintings created over the past four decades. At the center of the display is a horizontal ink scroll that took Meng three years to paint. It has 100 tigers. On the one hand, he uses meticulous brush strokes to accurately and vividly paint tiger fur, and on the other hand, he adopts a freehand style to depict the forests and mountains where the tigers live, by which he also accentuates the power and divinity of the animal.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6400-1476.