New style

An ongoing exhibition at the National Art Museum of China explores how contemporary craftsmanship is redefining lifestyle aesthetics by integrating creative approaches to traditional handicrafts, paying tribute to artisans who preserve ingenuity while embracing innovation rooted in folk culture.

New Folk Art, New Style, New Life, running until Feb 1, presents a new landscape of folk art, guided by a vision in which art empowers the rural economy and enriches social life. The works on show incorporate new materials, techniques and styles borrowed from other forms of art and crafts. As a result, traditional handicrafts have expanded beyond their original functions to better adapt to modern living. For example, a section shows fabric works not only as garments but also in many other forms to enrich a living space. The exhibition vividly illustrates a renewed vision for the inheritance, development, and revitalization of Chinese folk craftsmanship.

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

Timeless glow

Ancient Chinese people were among the earliest to extract raw lacquer from nature, refine it, and apply it for both preservation and decoration. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, lacquerware reached new heights of craftsmanship, synthesizing the techniques accumulated over earlier periods.

The Art of Lacquering, now underway at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang, celebrates the exquisite decorative techniques of lacquerware and its rich cultural significance. The exhibition brings together artifacts from its own collection and also from the Shenyang Imperial Palace museum. On view through March 30, the show presents a range of intricate techniques distinguished by durability and sumptuous visual effects, bridging ancient traditions with contemporary appreciation.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 157 Zhihui San Jie, Hunnan district, Shenyang, Liaoning province. 024-2274-1193.

Vigorous strokes

The flower-and-bird genre of painting emerged as an independent branch of classical Chinese painting during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), admired for both its distinctive aesthetic appeal and its philosophical reflections on the relations among humans, other living creatures and the natural world. The He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is presenting selected flower-and-bird paintings from the collection of the Beijing Fine Art Academy. Running until March 8, Brushstrokes at Year's Dawn traces the genre's evolution from precise, meticulous depiction to freer, more expressive approaches marked by spontaneous energy. Through unrestrained flows of brush and ink, the artists move beyond mere representation, initiating a spiritual dialogue with nature.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 9013 Shennan Dadao, Nanshan district, Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

0755-2660-4540.