As summer vacation draws to a close, Shanghai offers a rich array of cultural experiences beyond the "Ancient American Civilizations" exhibition, including Morandi's solo show at the Pudong Art Museum, the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" display at the HaiPai Art Museum, and the Mawangdui and Chang'an School vs. Shanghai School painting exhibitions at the Shanghai Art Museum, each presenting a unique perspective worth exploring. Among these, the Shanghai Museum's "Origins of China: The Qin Dynasty's Path to Unification" archaeological special exhibition will conclude in early September.
In Hangzhou, the Palace Museum's treasured "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" painting has made its debut at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum's "Taiping Era" grand exhibition, which runs for just one month and has already drawn long queues of eager visitors. In Beijing, the "Italian Renaissance Masterpieces" exhibition at the National Art Museum of China is scheduled to end in late August.
Shanghai
"Top of the World Tree: Ancient American Civilizations" at the Shanghai Museum (People's Square) runs from July 9, 2026 to November 14, 2027, bringing together 1,129 sets and nearly 3,000 artifacts from 14 cultural institutions across Mexico and Peru. The exhibition uses the core Mesoamerican cosmological concept of the "World Tree" as its narrative thread, aiming to paint a comprehensive picture of ancient Central and South American civilizations.
"Shaping My Life: Giacometti Art Exhibition" at the Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum runs from July 17 to December 6. Marking the 60th anniversary of Alberto Giacometti's passing, this major exhibition brings together 212 original works and archives from the foundation, tracing the creative trajectory of this postwar European sculpture master.
"Starlight of History: Chang'an School and Shanghai School Painting Research Exhibition" at the Shanghai Art Museum runs from July 16 to September 16, placing the northern Chang'an School and Shanghai's Haipai painting tradition in dialogue. Featuring over 70 masterpieces, it vividly illustrates how 20th-century Chinese painting transformed in response to its era.
"House of a Thousand Gold: The Life Aesthetics of the Mawangdui Han Tomb" at the Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Palace) runs from July 3 to October 7, marking the first time two precious T-shaped silk paintings are exhibited outside their home region simultaneously. This is the largest and highest-level exhibition of Mawangdui artifacts outside Hunan in over 50 years of archaeological research, featuring 195 sets and 472 items that systematically explore the lifestyle of Han dynasty aristocrats like Lady Xin Zhui.
"Breaking into the Unmanned Realm: Fang Zengxian Retrospective" at the Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Palace) runs from August 10 to November 15, comprehensively presenting nearly 400 works spanning Chinese painting, calligraphy, oil painting, sculpture, watercolor, and manuscripts. It is the largest and most academically complete retrospective of Fang Zengxian to date, marking the first large-scale display of his systematic creative methodology documents.
"Origins of China: The Qin Dynasty's Path to Unification" at the Shanghai Museum East Pavilion's first special exhibition hall runs from June 10 to September 7. Divided into four sections—"The Qin People," "The Qin State," "The Qin Integration," and "The Qin Unification"—it traces the origins of the Qin people and their journey toward unification, culminating in the standardization of writing and wheel tracks.
"Lina Bo Bardi: The Poetics of Survival" at the Power Station of Art runs from July 25 to October 25, featuring over 300 architectural models, drawings, manuscripts, magazines, furniture designs, and historical images. Together, they present not just an architect's oeuvre but a meditation on how architecture responds to life and society.
"Beauties by the Sea: Lin Fengmian and Shanghai School Ladies Paintings" at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy Art Museum runs from August 14 to November 15. Centered on Lin Fengmian's works, it brings together over 70 masterpieces by Ren Yi, Ren Xiong, Qian Huian, Sha Fu, Feng Chaoran, Qi Baishi, Xie Zhiguang, Lu Yanshao, Zhang Daqian, and others, supplemented by archival materials, videos, and antique furniture to trace the evolution of Shanghai School ladies paintings.
"Chinese Contemporary Art Annual Exhibition (Shanghai)" at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art runs from August 8, 2026 to October 11, 2026, documenting the current landscape of contemporary Chinese art with archival materials from 103 artists, including original works by 12 artists on site.
"Reshaping Landscapes: Centre Pompidou Collection Exhibition (IV)" at the West Bund Museum runs from April 29, 2025 to October 18, 2026. The fourth permanent exhibition in partnership with the Centre Pompidou focuses on landscape themes, gathering nearly 70 paintings, installations, sculptures, and videos across seven chapters to explore the evolving relationship between humanity, nature, and urban environments.
"Inscriptions of Architecture" at the Tank Shanghai runs from July 9 to October 7, featuring a dual exhibition by Zhang Yonghe and Liu Jiakun that brings together works by contemporary architects and artists, paired with traditional scrolls, albums, and scholar's rocks to probe the deep connections between architecture, history, environment, and culture.
"Imperial Splendor: Palace Museum Collection of Qing Dynasty Imperial Costumes" at the Expo Museum runs from July 7 to October 7. Jointly organized by the Palace Museum and the Expo Museum, this major exhibition showcases over 100 Qing dynasty court textiles and garments, including robes of four emperors—Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Tongzhi—as well as garments of six empresses dowager and empresses, fabrics, and accessories of consorts.
"Giorgio Morandi: Monologue" at the Pudong Art Museum runs from June 17 through October, marking the world's largest Morandi exhibition this century. Featuring 200 pieces (including 140 originals), with over 120 works visiting China for the first time, it spans oil painting, etching, watercolor, and drawing to present the full artistic breadth of this 20th-century Italian master.
"Matter & Form 2026 (First) Shanghai Mixed Media Art Exhibition" at the Liu Haisu Art Museum runs from July 31 to September 6, with 174 works distributed across four halls under the themes of "Traditional Vision," "Sino-Western Fusion," "New Material Applications," and "New Technology Empowerment," clearly mapping the diverse creative paths in contemporary mixed media art.
"Heritage and Legacy: Kazakh Folk Culture Exhibition" at the Shanghai History Museum West Wing runs from June 26 to August 30, offering over 100 artifacts that delve into Kazakhstan's long history and folk customs.
"Radiant Treasures: Palace Museum Collection of Qianlong Era Artifacts" at the Fengxian Museum in Shanghai runs from May 18 to November 18. This is the museum's second collaboration with the Palace Museum since the 2019 Yongzheng exhibition and the largest Qianlong-themed special exhibition in Shanghai in recent years, featuring 121 sets of Palace Museum treasures including gold and silver ware, porcelain, jade, lacquer, scholar's objects, embroidery, Buddhist offerings, and weaponry.
"Echoes of the Eight Eccentrics: From Yangzhou to Shanghai School Art" at the Shanghai HaiPai Art Museum runs from May 20, 2026 to May 20, 2027. The first phase features works exclusively from the Yangzhou Cultural Relics Store collection, many appraised by masters like Xie Zhiliu and Qi Gong, including representative works by Zheng Banqiao and Huang Shen, alongside Shanghai School masterpieces, together tracing a three-hundred-year lineage of Chinese literati painting.
"Wisdom & Art: 2026 Shanghai Science and Technology Art Exhibition" at the Shanghai HaiPai Art Museum runs from August 18 to September 6, gathering 56 works across more than ten media including AI-generated art, interactive installations, XR extended reality, and digital imagery. The exhibition's core visual language centers on "algorithms, data, and light."
"Leisurely Hours: Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy Collection of Small Works" at the Cheng Shifa Art Museum runs from July 18 to November 8, featuring small-format works by renowned artists past and present, spanning flowers and birds, landscapes, and simple figure sketches, conveying the leisurely aesthetic of literati daily life through refined brushwork.
Zhejiang
"Peaceful Era, Universal Harmony" at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum's Zhijiang Campus runs from July 28 to November 1, bringing together nearly 1,000 treasures from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period from nearly 100 cultural institutions nationwide. From August 22 to September 20, the Palace Museum's "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" will make a limited-time appearance at the Zhijiang Campus.
"Playful Brush: The Art World of Guan Liang" at the Zhejiang Art Museum runs from July 16 to September 6, displaying numerous manuscripts, sketches, and opera figure paintings that highlight his distinctive approach to opera painting—prioritizing spirit over formal likeness.
Jiangsu
"No Regrets in This Life: Li Lao Shi Art Exhibition" at the Jinling Art Museum in Nanjing runs from August 13 to September 13, 2026, presenting his figures, flowers and birds, landscapes, calligraphy, and manuscripts, with focused sections on his withered lotus series, Zhong Kui and Luohan figures, and satirical city sketches, comprehensively showcasing the artistic exploration of this brilliant yet tragically short-lived painter.
"Gold: The Noble Metal in Sino-Western Exchange" at the Wu Culture Museum in Suzhou runs from July 22, 2026 to January 6, 2027, using over 200 artifacts from China and abroad to tell the story of how gold connected Eastern and Western civilizations.
"Eagle Emblem and Laurel: Napoleon and the Era of French Transformation" at the Suzhou Museum West Campus runs from July 26 to October 25, displaying 150 precious sets covering Napoleon-era political systems, military equipment, decorative arts, and daily objects, systematically presenting the historical landscape and artistic character of France's transformative era.
"Where Do You Come From: I.M. Pei and His Family" at the Suzhou Museum main building runs from July 16, 2026 to October 15, 2026, tracing the five-hundred-year history of the Pei family of Wuzhong. Rather than a conventional retrospective of I.M. Pei's architectural career, the exhibition embarks on a journey of human origins, shifting focus from personal achievements and buildings to the deeper forces that shaped the master architect—"family and hometown."
"Splendors of Gusu" at the Suzhou Museum West Campus runs from July 11 to October 11, jointly organized with the Liaoning Provincial Museum, featuring 62 sets of calligraphy and paintings by Suzhou-born masters through the ages. Highlights include Zhang Xu's "Four Ancient Poems" on display for just 45 days and the monumental scroll "Prosperous Gusu," shown for the first time in 20 years.
"Splendor and Dust: Civilizational Imprints of Ancient Greece and Rome" at the China Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou runs from July 10 to October 11, in partnership with National Museums Liverpool, displaying 134 artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome, including a Zeus statue, classical gold and silver ware, stone carvings, and pottery, tracing classical civilization from Olympian mythology to the Roman city-state.
"Flourishing Tang: An Era of Diversity and Openness" at the Nanjing Six Dynasties Museum's first-floor temporary gallery runs from May 18 to September 1, featuring over 250 Tang dynasty artifacts, including the first large-scale display of Tang relics unearthed in Nanjing.
"Clouds in Flight: The Culture and Art of Western Han Guangling Lacquer and Wood Ware" at the Nanjing Museum's special exhibition hall runs from August 15 to November 15, focusing on Western Han Guangling lacquerware, which inherits the romantic artistic tradition of the Chu region. Centered on cloud-pattern motifs, the exhibition displays numerous exquisite lacquer pieces, showcasing the Han dynasty's distinctive romantic aesthetic.
"Entering Shu: The Historical Liangzhou and Yizhou" at the Wu Culture Museum in Suzhou runs from June 16 to October 18, using the theme of "entering Shu" to tell the story of the Liangzhou and Yizhou regions, with the complete "Thirteen Stone Inscriptions of Shimen" rubbings from the Han-Wei period on display.
Jiangxi
"400th Anniversary of Bada Shanren's Birth Special Exhibition" at the Jiangxi Provincial Museum and Bada Shanren Memorial Hall runs from July 10 to October 10, bringing together 129 fine calligraphy and painting works from 22 major cultural institutions nationwide, including the Palace Museum and Shanghai Museum—the largest Bada Shanren art exhibition ever held in China. The only recognized authentic portrait of Bada Shanren, "Portrait of Geshan," and the monumental scroll "River Flowers" are both on prominent display.
Anhui
"Seeing the Unusual: Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou Fine Works Exhibition" at the Anhui Art Museum runs from June 19 to August 30, with all pieces on loan from the Tianjin Museum. The exhibition presents the Eight Eccentrics' unconventional and refined approach to art, reproducing the innovative spirit of mid-Qing dynasty Yangzhou painting through diverse subjects.
"Echoes of Color: Wu Guanzhong Art Exhibition" at the Anhui Art Museum runs from June 30 to September 13, organized around his artistic philosophy that "ink equals zero," comprehensively presenting Wu Guanzhong's artistic exploration journey.
Sichuan
"Observing the Marvelous: The Architectural Art and Heritage of Yongle Palace" at the Sichuan Museum in Chengdu runs from July 9 to December 6, 2026. As the most artifact-rich stop in the Yongle Palace traveling exhibition, it features 125 sets of precious relics across three sections explaining the palace's architectural construction, conservation, and artistic value, complemented by multiple immersive digital interactive experiences.
Liaoning
"Family Flourishing, Nation Thriving: Exhibition of Outstanding Traditional Family Mottos and Values" at the Liaoning Provincial Museum runs from August 12, 2026 to November 12, 2026. Jointly organized with multiple cultural institutions, the exhibition features artifacts including the Ming dynasty portrait of Confucius in repose, Yuan dynasty calligrapher Xian Yushu's running script of Wang Anshi's poem, and the "Dongpo with Rain Hat" painting, with pieces rotated in two phases to systematically explain traditional Chinese family mottos and values.
"Smile: Imprints of the Chinese Spirit in Cultural Relics" at the Liaoning Provincial Museum runs from July 26, 2026 to October 22, 2026. This major annual exhibition connects 38 cultural institutions nationwide, bringing together over 300 ceramics, jade, bronze, sculpture, and painting artifacts, using the "smile" depicted on relics as its narrative thread across five sections.
Guizhou
"Romance and Stars: A Symphonic Epic from Romanticism to Modernism" at the Guizhou Provincial Museum runs from July 10 to October 10, featuring 80 original works by over 50 European masters, including Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Dalí, and Delacroix, spanning oil painting, printmaking, and drawing to trace Western art's evolution from Romanticism to Modernism.
Hebei
"Millennium of Song Elegance, Rituals Under Heaven: Song Dynasty Ritual Culture Exhibition" at the Hebei Museum North Wing runs from July 8 to October 8, bringing together over 230 sets of Song dynasty artifacts, primarily from Zhejiang collections alongside Hebei Museum holdings, presenting the Song dynasty's ethos of revering antiquity, honoring Confucianism, and governing through ritual, while interpreting the evolution of ritual systems and literati ceremonial practices.
Henan
"Bronze Bearers: Eurasian Bronze Art Exhibition" at the Henan Museum runs from July 8 to October 31, featuring nearly 400 precious sets from multiple institutions in China and Italy, spanning over three thousand years across ancient Eurasian civilizations, systematically revealing bronze's crucial and multifaceted role in early human civilization.
"Forging China: Bronze Exhibition of Central Plains States" at the Zhengzhou Museum in Henan runs from May 18 to August 31, featuring over 200 bronzes from more than 30 cultural institutions nationwide, using inscriptions to reveal the history and culture of the Central Plains states during the Zhou dynasty.
"Gold of Dragon City: Liaoning San Yan Culture Exhibition" at the Zhengzhou Shang Dynasty Capital Site Museum runs from August 18 to November 15, showcasing over 140 precious artifacts excavated from the San Yan homeland, systematically presenting the multicultural integration of San Yan culture, with highlights in gold workmanship, mural art, and armored cavalry equipment.
Shandong
"Sea Radiance, Mountain Glory: Ancient Greek Art Treasures from Puglia, Italy" at the Qingdao Museum runs from July 15 to November 15, bringing together artifacts from six museums in Italy's Puglia region, including red-figure pottery, marine-themed reliefs, classical sculptures, and metalwork, presenting the life and aesthetics of the Mediterranean ancient Greek coastal civilization.
Shanxi
"Angkor: Millennial Treasures of Ancient Khmer" at the Shanxi Museum main hall runs from June 5, 2026 to October 7, 2026, displaying 136 sets of stone carvings, architectural components, and ceramics from the National Museum of Cambodia, covering Buddhist sculptures, architectural elements, and pottery from the Funan, Chenla, and Angkor periods, with most pieces visiting China for the first time.
"Return of True Visage: 2025 Donated Polychrome Sculpture Exhibition" at the Shanxi Museum runs from August 13 to November 15, featuring nearly 30 clay polychrome Buddhist sculptures, highlights including a Song-Jin period Veda head and a Ming dynasty Luohan head, alongside introductions to polychrome sculpture techniques.
Beijing
"Radiance of a Master: Pang Xunqin Special Exhibition" at the Tsinghua University Art Museum runs from July 15, 2026 to October 13, 2026. Marking the 120th anniversary of Pang Xunqin's birth (1906-1985) and the 70th anniversary of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, the exhibition gathers over 400 works and precious documents, systematically presenting Pang's pioneering achievements in painting, art design, arts and crafts education, and decorative arts research.
"Knowing the Heart Through Painting: A Research Exhibition on Feng Zikai's 'Protection of Life Paintings'" at the China National Academy of Painting Art Museum runs from July 20 to October 20, marking the first complete public display of all six volumes of the original "Protection of Life Paintings" along with other works, re-examining the multifaceted value of this artistic masterpiece spanning nearly half a century through an academic lens.
"Corn, Gold, Jaguar: Maya and Andean Ancient Civilizations Grand Exhibition" at the Capital Museum runs from May 18 to October 18, presenting a panorama of ancient American civilizations spanning 3,000 years. This is the largest special exhibition in the Capital Museum's history, bringing together approximately 800 precious artifacts from over 20 cultural institutions across Mexico and Peru.
"Saluting the Masters: From da Vinci to Caravaggio—Italian Renaissance Masterpieces Exhibition" at the National Art Museum of China runs from April 28 to August 28. Jointly organized with the Uffizi Gallery and the Baofeng Group Yanshan Charity Foundation, the exhibition gathers 36 original works by over 20 masters including da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, and Caravaggio across three chapters, constructing the lineage of Italian Renaissance art.
"Spirit of Brazil: Portinari Art Exhibition" at the National Museum of China runs from June 10 to October 11, marking the first exhibition in China of Brazilian painter Candido Portinari's work, featuring 56 paintings that focus on Brazil's working class, showcasing national indigenous spirit and humanistic compassion.
Hubei
"Treasures of the Kremlin: From Peter I to Catherine II" at the Hubei Provincial Museum runs from July 20 to October 25, presenting 129 sets of imperial Russian treasures, including crowns, scepters, court attire, antique silver, and ancient weaponry, comprehensively displaying the splendor of the Russian imperial court.
Shaanxi
"Jinshi Studies in Shaanxi (Part I: Pursuing Bronze)" at the Shaanxi History Museum runs from June 18 to December 30. The first installment of the museum's anniversary series features over 200 important Shang through Republican-era bronzes excavated in Shaanxi, tracing the development of epigraphy through local discoveries and interpreting bronze inscriptions, casting techniques, and traditional textual research culture.
"Civilization's Limits: Hellenistic Gold Art Exhibition" at the Shaanxi History Museum's seventh hall runs from June 14, 2026 to November 29, 2026, featuring 250 sets of ancient gold artifacts from multiple Greek cultural institutions, including myrtle-leaf gold crowns and Herakles-knot jewelry, demonstrating the diverse craftsmanship and aesthetics of the Hellenistic era.
Yunnan
"Twin Gems of Fujian Porcelain: Black and White Ceramics from the Fujian Museum" at the Yunnan Provincial Museum runs from June 19 to August 30, pairing Dehua white porcelain with Jian kiln black-glazed tea bowls—two celebrated Fujian ceramic traditions—in a rare systematic exhibition of Fujian ceramics in China.
Guangdong
"Peace Under Heaven: Tang Dynasty Zhenguan Era Artifacts Exhibition" at the Huizhou Museum runs from August 13 to November 15, bringing together 95 sets of precious Tang artifacts from the Zhaoling Museum, Zhenjiang Museum, Gansu Provincial Museum, and Guyuan Museum, centered on Zhenguan-era history to comprehensively present the politics, culture, and society of the Tang dynasty's golden age.
"Misty Green for Ten Thousand Miles: Lingnan Landscape Paintings Since the Qing Dynasty" at the Guangzhou Museum of Art runs from August 18, 2026 to November 18, 2026, bringing together over a hundred landscape paintings since the Qing dynasty, from early-Qing classical brushwork to modern Lingnan School masters' sketching works, clearly mapping three centuries of Lingnan landscape painting's inheritance and transformation.
Hong Kong
"Heavenly Steeds: Painting Treasures from the Palace Museum Collection" at the Hong Kong Palace Museum runs from March 20, 2026 to March 17, 2027, featuring masterpieces by Qiu Ying (one of the "Four Ming Masters"), Qing dynasty Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione (Lang Shining), Shanghai School artist Ren Yi, and Xu Beihong, renowned for his horse paintings, demonstrating various styles and techniques in depicting spirited horses.
Taiwan
"Mistaken Characters: Calligraphy Special Exhibition" at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum in Taipei runs through September 6. Departing from traditional calligraphy appreciation focused on brushwork and composition, this exhibition takes a unique angle on mistakes, corrections, additions, and revisions in calligraphy, unlocking another dimension of famous works across dynasties.
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