SHANGHAI - Since the end of June 2024 , the Shanghai Museum's East Building opening "trilogy" has entered the second phase. During this period, the Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Botanical Garden , which celebrated its 50th anniversary, jointly held the "Wood and Stone: Jiangnan Stone Offerings and Shanghai-style Bonsai Exhibition", which dressed the newly opened Jiangnan Creation Hall and rooftop garden in an elegant and vibrant costume.

The exhibition makes full use of museum collections, garden collections and social resources. While introducing the classic forms and historical achievements of traditional stone appreciation bonsai culture, it also presents the innovative practices that highlight the characteristics of Jiangnan culture and Shanghai culture. This further implements the requirements of Xi Jinping's cultural thought of "focusing on continuing the Chinese cultural context and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture", promotes the diversified development of museums, and meets the people's new demand for high-quality culture.

Jiangnan is the region with the richest accumulation of classical Chinese stone appreciation culture. The history of stone appreciation is long and has entered the art palace of scholar's room and office as early as the late Tang and Five Dynasties. Shanghai-style bonsai, with the artistic characteristics of "learning from nature and painting the ancient", has a history of more than 400 years and is a treasure full of historical and cultural splendor in Shanghai, a modern international metropolis. The juxtaposition of ancient and modern famous stones and lush bonsai makes the two a perfect match under the Jiangnan garden scene on the roof of the East Pavilion. It can undoubtedly reflect the elegant feelings of literati and poets who intend to enjoy the beauty of mountains, forests and hills in a more three-dimensional way, and present this world full of fun and interest in traditional culture to the audience in a beautiful environment.

The scenery in the south of the Yangtze River is getting better every year, and the sea is getting newer every day. The various immortal stones and evergreen pines in the exhibition are just like Shanghai, a city deeply rooted in the Chinese soil and integrated with the cultural veins of the south of the Yangtze River, showing its outstanding and everlasting spiritual attitude in the vicissitudes of the times.

2024-09-06 - 2024-11-11

“Small Rectangular Pot,” a Studio Table Ornament & Laoshan green jade stone. Rosewood bi-level plank-top pedestal stand (Qing dynasty). Height 19.8 cm, Width 32.0 cm, Depth 22.2 cm. Collection of the Shanghai Museum. Gift from Wang Yiping in 1998 © Shanghai Museum

“What Leaves Mi Xiangyang Speechless with Amazement,” a Mountain-shaped Inkstone, Yingde stone. Height with stand 30 cm, Width 22 cm, Depth 18 cm. Rosewood stand (Qing dynasty). Collection of the Shanghai Museum. Gift from Hu Kemin in 2019. © Shanghai Museum.

"Pile of Black Jade," a Studio Table Ornament, Yingde stone trimmed and polished during the Song and Yuan dynasties. Height 22.2 cm, Width 26.2 cm, Depth 13.2 cm. Red sandalwood stand (Qing dynasty). Private collection. © Shanghai Museum.

Scholar's Rock. Lingbi stone trimmed and polished in the Song dynasty. Height 50 cm, Width 70 cm. Rosewood stand (Qing dynasty). Collection of the Xiling Seal Engravers' Society. © Shanghai Museum.

Studio Table Ornament. Petrified wood. Height with stand 46 cm, Width 19.5 cm, Depth 13.5 cm. Rosewood stand (Qing dynasty). Private collection © Shanghai Museum.

"Interlocking Clouds," a Studio Table Ornament. Lingbi stone trimmed and polished in the Ming dynasty. Height 20.5 cm, Width 25 cm, Depth 7.5 cm. Rosewood bi-level plank-top pedestal stand (Qing dynasty). Private collection. © Shanghai Museum.

"Heaven and Earth in a Hole". Lingbi Stone. Height 75 cm, Width 76 cm, Depth 33 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Ornamental Rocks Association. © Shanghai Museum.

"Hidden Beauty of a Heavenly Abode". Lake Tai stone. Height 148 cm, Width 67 cm, Depth 55 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Ornamental Rocks Association © Shanghai Museum.

"Ganoderma". Kunshan stone. Height 70 cm, Width 43 cm, Depth 20 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Ornamental Rocks Association © Shanghai Museum

"Refined Spirits of Nature". Yingde stone. Height 28 cm, Width 24 cm, Depth 14 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Ornamental Rocks Association. © Shanghai Museum.

"Restful Cloud over the Waterside", Five-needled pine (Pinus parviflora). Height 185 cm, Width 170 cm, Depth of field 105 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden. © Shanghai Museum

"Flying through Cloud towards the Moon", Golden-leaf five-needled pine (Pinus parviflora 'Aurea'). Height 85 cm, Width 60 cm, Depth of field 70 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden © Shanghai Museum.

"Observation without Action", Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii). Height 185 cm, Width 140 cm, Depth of field 130 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden. © Shanghai Museum.

"Broaden Your Horizon to Enjoy the Scenery", Cork-bark Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii var. corticosa). Height 85 cm, Width 85 cm, Depth of field 115 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden.

"Everlasting Quaintness", Yew plum pine (Podocarpus macrophyllus). Height 135 cm, Width 90 cm, Depth of field 95 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden.

"Green Waves Flowing Eastwards", Hubei ash (Fraxinus hubeiensis). Height 120 cm, Width 85 cm, Depth of field 115 cm. Provided by the Shanghai Botanical Garden.