What's on

Buddhist connections

Yinyuan was a Chinese Zen monk living in the late 16th century and 17th century. Hailing from Fujian province, he went to Japan to serve as an abbot of Kofukuji Temple in Nagasaki. Yinyuan founded the influential Obaku school of Zen Buddhism there, making him a historical figure in exchanges between China and Japan. An exhibition now on at the National Art Museum of China marks the accomplishments of Yinyuan and his disciples in building Zen Buddhism in Japan, as well as promoting the spread of Chinese painting, calligraphy, architecture, literature, music, cuisine and medicine, which influenced the lifestyles of Japanese people at that time. Organized by the Buddhist Association of China, the exhibition shows dozens of artworks by Yinyuan and his disciples, as well as replicas of 12 cultural objects that Yinyuan took to Japan, including furniture, inking brushes and stones. Also on show is a bronze statue of Yinyuan, created by Wu Weishan, who is director of the National Art Museum of China and a sculptor. Another version of the statue by Wu was unveiled at Kofukuji Temple to mark the temple's 400th anniversary. The exhibition runs through April 13.

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

Revolutionary spirit

The Beijing Fine Art Academy is holding an exhibition titled From Yan'an to Beijing that focuses on the work of its member artists who once lived and worked in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, and witnessed its rise as the command center of the Communist Party of China. The first part of the show gathers woodblock prints made in Yan'an in which one will see how the artists integrated woodblock techniques with folk art aesthetics in order to bring out the revolutionary spirit. The second part shows paintings made after the artists joined the then newly established Beijing Fine Art Academy in the 1950s. The exhibition runs through April 24.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 12 Chaoyang Gongyuan (Park) Nan Lu. 010-6502-5171.

Women's special

Zhejiang Provincial Museum launched a three-year virtual exhibition, Beauties in Paintings, on Women's Day last year, bringing together digital images of classical Chinese paintings on women that are in the collection of various cultural institutions. It won wide acclaim and the museum recently opened an in-person show on the same theme, allowing viewers a detailed look at some centuries-old ink paintings in its collection. Divided into three sections, it shows the daily lives and the spiritual world of well-off women in ancient China. The first introduces their hair styles, dresses, makeup and accessories to show fashion trends at the time. The second places the audience in the living spaces of women who were largely confined indoors and relied heavily on leisure activities to fill their time. The third section zooms in on the family life and cultural activities of women, showing paintings created by female artists themselves. The exhibition runs through May 8.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 25 Gushan Lu, Hangzhou. 0571-8601-3085/8796-0505.

Cultural ties

Wang Qingli, a painter based in Hubei province, has witnessed the ups and downs in Chinese contemporary art over the past four decades. The evolution of her work exemplifies the endeavors of artists of her generation to blaze a trail in Chinese art in a different age. While embracing a global vision, Wang, like her peers, also finds it impossible to not be nurtured by her cultural traditions. Inspiration from Landscape, Wang's solo exhibition now at Hubei Museum of Art through April 10, shows her recent paintings in which she reinforces the essential spirit of classical Chinese art in a contemporary manner. She has reduced the figurative details and simplified the forms of old landscape paintings, meanwhile accentuating the carefree, serene atmosphere to create resonance among her viewers.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 1 Sangongdian, Donghu Road, Wuhan, Hubei province. 027-8679-6062/7.