Wealth and luck
The various gods of wealth are more intently focused on than other Chinese deities during Spring Festival. They are worshipped and featured on a wide range of festival objects, such as money-filled red envelopes and woodblock new year posters, sending blessings for fortune, good luck and business opportunities. Ceramic, wood and stone statues of gods of wealth are among the dozens of artworks on show at Wealth and Rank, an ongoing exhibition at the Chengdu Museum in Sichuan province, to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival. It gathers objects embodying wishes for prosperity and longevity, and reflects the Chinese take on lifestyle, money-making and social courtesy. Works on show are from nine art museums across the country, including currencies from different periods of time, ruyi, the jade scepter stylized as a symbol of good wish, and yaoqianshu, the money tree. They create an atmosphere of happiness and harmony while reiterating a long-standing belief that wealth can be accumulated in the right way. The show runs until March 20.
9 am-5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. 1 Xiaohe Jie Street, Qingyang district, Chengdu, Sichuan province. 028-6291-5593.
Picturesque landscapes
Classical Chinese paintings were executed on a roll of paper or silk, in a horizontal or vertical style, in the past. They were then rolled out for appreciation of individuals or groups. Handscroll paintings in the horizontal format provide continuous perspectives for one to enjoy the detail, and famous examples include Qingming Shanghe Tu, a vivid 12th-century genre painting by Zhang Zeduan. While paintings in the vertical format are normally hung on walls to bring an overwhelming feeling. The current exhibition at Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang, As Picturesque as Mountains and Waters, shows 66 hanging scrolls of landscapes in which one would sense a pursuit of harmony and unity of humans and the universe by ancient artists. It runs until April 10.
9 am-4:30 pm, closed on Mondays.157 Zhihui Sanjie Street, Hunnan district, Shenyang, Liaoning province. 024-2320-5102.