| |

River Towns

ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist
ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHOUZHUANG, no. 39

river towns

On the second to last day in Shanghai, Wang arranged for me to join a student bus trip to Zhouzhuang, ninety minutes west of Shanghai. Blurry photographs taken through the bus window were washed out even more by the overcast day. In small corners of the images the camera caught people working — on rivers, in fields, and laying tile. They appeared to have stepped directly from the Qingming scroll of 1100 AD, seen the day before at the China Art Museum.

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

river towns

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

To see all blog posts in this topic, select tab above marked TRAVELS > CHINA.

Save

Save

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Bus Trip

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 28 My arrival in Shanghai coincided with a previously scheduled trip of Wang’s colleagues and students from the Shanghai University Architecture and Painting departments. They graciously included me in their plans to view the China Academy of Art Thesis Exhibitions in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, a three hour drive north of Shanghai. We departed with overnight bags in two buses from the university at 7:00 AM. Tinted…

  • | |

    Liangzhu Museum

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — HANGZHOU, no. 33 Hangzhou is known as “a paradise on earth” for its picturesque wonders. The threadbare hotel we stayed in must once have been elegant, its broad marble stairway having since been roped off. Photographs were prohibited inside. Elena and I shared a spartan room on the second floor. I slept well despite the smell of cigarettes and street noise coming through the window we opened to move the air….

  • | |

    China Art Museum

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — SHANGHAI, no. 37 The China Art Museum in Shanghai was originally built for the China Pavilion of Expo 2010. It is the largest art museum in Asia. The permanent collection is mainly Chinese modern art with substantial special exhibitions. The building design references several traditional forms of joinery, cap style, and bronze pots. It is enormous and visited by millions of people each year. detail of two ink murals on left…

  • | |

    Beijing Fashion

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 23 China has had a developing market economy since reforms led by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. There is a wide variety of individual color and style in women’s fashion. Clothing is plentiful and inexpensive. There are several trends in the city. Formal occasion dresses show up at all times of day in unlikely public places, made with sheer white flowing and layered…

  • | |

    Tian’anmen

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — BEIJING, no. 20 The front entrance to the Imperial City in Beijing is called Tian’anmen, or Gate of Heavenly Peacemaking. First built in 1415 during the Ming Dynasty, it is where Mao Zedong’s portrait is centrally hung. Forbidden city is within the Imperial City north of Tian’anmen. The immense open area called Tian’anmen Square is on the opposite side of a busy street from Imperial City gate. Tunnels are used to…

  • | |

    Somewhere in China

    ByLaraine Armenti, visual artist

    ARTIST RESIDENCY CHINA — ZHEJIANG, no. 31 Except for scant details, my courteous young interpreter Elena had limited knowledge of our location, destination, or itinerary. The adult professors spoke among themselves, merrily enjoying a family-style vacation in the country. They barely looked out the bus windows. Twenty-four hours after leaving Beijing for Shanghai, I was somewhere in China without a map, internet connection, or place name. The verdant scenery that whizzed by was spectacular. Later…