Enduring totem
Leaving ice and snow behind, a herd of spirited creatures has galloped into the Harbin Museum in Heilongjiang province, stirring echoes of history and bringing good blessings. Forward, Not Follow, an exhibition at the museum running through March 8, shows more than 250 artworks by renowned artist Han Meilin, reflecting his longtime exploration of the horse motif across a variety of mediums, such as painting, calligraphy, sculpture, ceramics and ironwork. Drawing on historical aesthetics, from patterned terracotta bricks (huaxiang zhuan) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) and three-colored sancai pottery of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Han's work leads viewers on a visual journey that traces the horse as an eternal cultural totem throughout history.
9 am-4 pm, closed on Mondays. 13 Liushu Jie, Daoli district, Harbin, Heilongjiang province. 0451-5113-7155.
Aromatic history
Myriad Charms, a long-term exhibition now on view at Tianjin Museum, sheds light on the intricate workmanship of lu, small stoves whose functions and cultural meanings evolved over centuries in ancient China. On show are fine examples drawn from the collections of museums and archaeological institutions in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province. Tracing the stove's transformation from a utilitarian tool for cooking and heating to a vessel of cultural life, the show highlights its later role as an incense burner, or xianglu, made possible by advances in casting techniques. Closely tied to the import of spices and pigments, the craft of xianglu became a distinct artistic category, enhancing domestic spaces and meditation rituals, and fostering a sense of connection with the celestial world.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 62 Pingjiang Dao, Hexi district, Tianjin. 022-8388-3000.
Brushwork reformers
Qi Baishi (1864-1957) and Pan Tianshou (1897-1971) are widely regarded as pioneers of ink art reform in the 20th century. Two Masters of the North and South, now underway at Hunan Museum, Changsha, until June 7, compares the distinctive approaches to brushwork and coloring of the two great artists. Qi, a native of Hunan province, rose to fame in the art circles of Beijing where he lived. His work won broad public acclaim for revealing the extraordinary in the ordinary: he revisited cabbages, chickens, ducks, fish, and shrimp to celebrate everyday life. Pan, hailing from Zhejiang province and mostly living in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, favored a restrained palette of colors — pale ink, ocher and flower-blue — but delivered extraordinary brushwork of striking resonance and tension.
9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. 50 Dongfeng Lu, Changsha, Hunan province. 0731-8441-5833.
