Zha Shibiao</a>, active in the Jiangnan area, and Guangdong painters Li Jian, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Su-Renshan/F38D8E4E12608252">Su Renshan</a> and <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Liang-Yuwei/2FFCA39887771F73">Liang Yuwei</a>, each known for their distinct personal style. Within the context of the development of modern Chinese painting, the Lingnan School advocated for a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, while the Guangdong Chinese Painting Research Society sought innovation within the paradigm of tradition. The vibrant artistic interactions between the Guangdong, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai art scenes can be seen in the works of <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Huang-Binhong/4CD5847B62D95345">artists like Huang Binhong</a>, Zhang Hong, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Lu-Zishu/D61F4C2B4E9BB040">Lu Zishu</a> and Chiu Sai-Kwong (<a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Zhao-Shiguang/C0EC89348F346F2D">Zhao Shiguang</a>), reflecting the depth and virtuosity of the evolution of 20th-century Chinese painting and the enduring friendships transcending time and space in the Hong Kong art community. Rarely displayed in public, the exhibition includes iconic works by renowned modern masters and influential art educators such as <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Liu-Haisu/1FB5AB9ACC65C312">Liu Haisu</a>, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Fang-Zhaolin/D21FAA32C405B909">Fang Zhaoling</a>, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Rao-Zongyi/98F3EDB58FDB9EF6">Rao Zongyi</a>, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Huang-Zhongfang/3016E9E2B73E5169">Harold Wong</a> Chung-fong and <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Wan-Qingli/80420F5549B3FD1D">Wan Qingli</a>, along with Hong Kong and Hong Kong Malaysian masters Choi Hoi-ying (<a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Cai-Haiying/94A4B3D4A5F6764C">Cai Haiying</a>) and Liew Come-tong (<a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Liu-Qindong/9320ADA581631CB8">Liu Qindong</a>), revealing their unwavering commitment to ink art.&nbsp;</p><p>The collection of Chinese landscape paintings constitutes the foundation of UMAG’s educational and research efforts. Since establishing the collection and making it publicly accessible in the 1950s, UMAG has been closely connected to the development of twentieth-century Chinese painters, actively documenting and studying the evolution of local artistic talents and the Hong Kong art scene. We would like to thank our community of donors—both artists and collectors—for their generosity and for being part of this fascinating journey. Finally, this exhibition would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Hong Kong Museum Society and HKU’s Endowment for Music and Fine Arts Fund.</p><p><br></p>" />

Wondrous Rivers: Exploring Chinese Landscape Paintings

Feb 14, 2025 - May 11, 2025

The exhibition Wondrous Rivers: Exploring Chinese Landscape Paintings invites visitors to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Chinese landscape paintings from the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong. As a sequel to the 2024 exhibition Momentous Mountains: The Artistic, Philosophical and Cultural Engagement with Chinese Landscape Painting, this showcase presents a diverse series of paintings spanning from the early Qing dynasty (17th century) to contemporary times. The artists, hailing from different time periods and various regional cultures and training backgrounds, collectively exemplify the multi-faceted evolution of this painting genre. 

The exhibition features a selection of artworks by renowned Chinese landscape painters, including the literati painter Zha Shibiao, active in the Jiangnan area, and Guangdong painters Li Jian, Su Renshan and Liang Yuwei, each known for their distinct personal style. Within the context of the development of modern Chinese painting, the Lingnan School advocated for a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, while the Guangdong Chinese Painting Research Society sought innovation within the paradigm of tradition. The vibrant artistic interactions between the Guangdong, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai art scenes can be seen in the works of artists like Huang Binhong, Zhang Hong, Lu Zishu and Chiu Sai-Kwong (Zhao Shiguang), reflecting the depth and virtuosity of the evolution of 20th-century Chinese painting and the enduring friendships transcending time and space in the Hong Kong art community. Rarely displayed in public, the exhibition includes iconic works by renowned modern masters and influential art educators such as Liu Haisu, Fang Zhaoling, Rao Zongyi, Harold Wong Chung-fong and Wan Qingli, along with Hong Kong and Hong Kong Malaysian masters Choi Hoi-ying (Cai Haiying) and Liew Come-tong (Liu Qindong), revealing their unwavering commitment to ink art. 

The collection of Chinese landscape paintings constitutes the foundation of UMAG’s educational and research efforts. Since establishing the collection and making it publicly accessible in the 1950s, UMAG has been closely connected to the development of twentieth-century Chinese painters, actively documenting and studying the evolution of local artistic talents and the Hong Kong art scene. We would like to thank our community of donors—both artists and collectors—for their generosity and for being part of this fascinating journey. Finally, this exhibition would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Hong Kong Museum Society and HKU’s Endowment for Music and Fine Arts Fund.



The exhibition Wondrous Rivers: Exploring Chinese Landscape Paintings invites visitors to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Chinese landscape paintings from the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), The University of Hong Kong. As a sequel to the 2024 exhibition Momentous Mountains: The Artistic, Philosophical and Cultural Engagement with Chinese Landscape Painting, this showcase presents a diverse series of paintings spanning from the early Qing dynasty (17th century) to contemporary times. The artists, hailing from different time periods and various regional cultures and training backgrounds, collectively exemplify the multi-faceted evolution of this painting genre. 

The exhibition features a selection of artworks by renowned Chinese landscape painters, including the literati painter Zha Shibiao, active in the Jiangnan area, and Guangdong painters Li Jian, Su Renshan and Liang Yuwei, each known for their distinct personal style. Within the context of the development of modern Chinese painting, the Lingnan School advocated for a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, while the Guangdong Chinese Painting Research Society sought innovation within the paradigm of tradition. The vibrant artistic interactions between the Guangdong, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai art scenes can be seen in the works of artists like Huang Binhong, Zhang Hong, Lu Zishu and Chiu Sai-Kwong (Zhao Shiguang), reflecting the depth and virtuosity of the evolution of 20th-century Chinese painting and the enduring friendships transcending time and space in the Hong Kong art community. Rarely displayed in public, the exhibition includes iconic works by renowned modern masters and influential art educators such as Liu Haisu, Fang Zhaoling, Rao Zongyi, Harold Wong Chung-fong and Wan Qingli, along with Hong Kong and Hong Kong Malaysian masters Choi Hoi-ying (Cai Haiying) and Liew Come-tong (Liu Qindong), revealing their unwavering commitment to ink art. 

The collection of Chinese landscape paintings constitutes the foundation of UMAG’s educational and research efforts. Since establishing the collection and making it publicly accessible in the 1950s, UMAG has been closely connected to the development of twentieth-century Chinese painters, actively documenting and studying the evolution of local artistic talents and the Hong Kong art scene. We would like to thank our community of donors—both artists and collectors—for their generosity and for being part of this fascinating journey. Finally, this exhibition would not have been possible without the financial support of the University of Hong Kong Museum Society and HKU’s Endowment for Music and Fine Arts Fund.



Contact details

Sunday
1:00 - 6:00 PM
Monday - Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:00 PM
The University of Hong Kong, 90 Bonham Road, Pokfulam Hong Kong

What's on nearby

M+ presents a two-person exhibition of the photographic <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Yasumasa-Morimura/03679172531714BE">works of Yasumasa Morimura</a> and <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Cindy-Sherman/A4D76AC3888E6ADA">Cindy Sherman</a> (American, born 1954). Both artists are renowned for their visual and conceptual strategies of masquerade, transforming their appearances to portray multiple identities that offer incisive commentary on contemporary culture and history.</p><p>Presented as part of the Pao-Watari Exhibition Series, Yasumasa Morimura and Cindy Sherman: Masquerades features works from major early series by Morimura and Sherman. The exhibition traces the genesis of their practices, which reimagine iconic imagery from art history, cinema, and media culture. These creative acts of masquerade not only emulate the source material, but also embody the artists’ unique perspectives and contexts. Their representations deviate from the original images, triggering a sense of familiarity as well as ambiguity. By establishing a fluid relationship with their subjects, Morimura and Sherman explore identity as a malleable construct.</p><p><br></p>" />
Joakim Ojanen</a> from Sweden, alongside with Nicasio <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Nicasio-Fernandez/BAD8F38BB8EA0CBC">Fernandez and <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Wondrous-Rivers--Exploring-Chinese-Lands/"/Artist/Ryan-Travis-Christian/3DF87F84D6F0ECDC">Ryan Travis Christian</a> from the United States.&nbsp; Each artist brings their unique character to the work, offering a diverse yet cohesive exploration of contemporary themes.</p><p>Joakim Ojanen captivates with his signature characters, which often emerge as ethereal representations of human emotions entwined with the natural world. Many of the motifs in his works are based on his home country and living environment where Ojanen grew up. His intricate details and soft palettes evoke a sense of tranquility, inviting viewers to connect with the introspective narratives that lie within each piece.</p><p>Nicasio Fernandez is widely recognized for his distinctive figures characterized by warm skin tones and exaggerated bodily proportions and facial features. These characters act as placeholders for the viewer to submerge themselves within as the paintings reveal a deep exploration of personal and universal emotional tension. In his paintings, Fernandez ingeniously channels a duality of familiarity and strangeness that simultaneously addresses the complex relationship of contemporary society.</p><p>Ryan Travis Christian’s art delves into surreal personal narratives that intrigately explore the paradoxical interplay between whimsical cartoons and darker, more ominous themes. Drawing inspiration from his upbringing in a small suburban town in Chicago, his visual world possesses a distinct melancholic quality that has evolved beyond mere observation.</p><p>Together, these artists embody a rich tapestry of character and expression, each contributing their signature styles to create an engaging and thought-provoking exhibition. We invite you to immerse yourself in their worlds and discover the unique voices that each artist brings to this collaborative exploration of contemporary art.</p><p><br></p>" />
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