The exhibition will feature calligraphy and paintings by Emperor Huizong of Song on a silk fan, showcasing some of the Shanghai Museum's most prized fan paintings and calligraphic works.

Shanghai Museum’s fan-painting exhibition gathers silk fans and folding formats where Emperor Huizong’s court taste still sets a high bar.

Fan painting here is not a minor craft: it is a portable picture system—“the vessel is small, the idea complete”—pulled from some of the museum’s tightest reserves.

The exhibition, themed "The Ultimate Fan, The Ultimate Beauty," will trace the development of fan-shaped calligraphy and painting art, selecting 100 exquisite fan-shaped calligraphy and painting works from different periods of the museum's collection, including the Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, and modern times. Among them are the earliest surviving calligraphy fan leaf—Emperor Huizong of Song's "Two Lines of Seven-Character Poem in Cursive Script"; a rare painting fan leaf from the Yuan Dynasty—Sheng Mao's "Autumn River Fishing"; an early Ming Dynasty painting folding fan leaf—Xie Jin's "Fishing Boat on a Shore"; and Wang Yuanqi's "Landscape in the Style of Ni Zan" (one of the "Four Wangs" of the early Qing Dynasty) and Miao Tong's "Running Script" folding fan, among other rare masterpieces from various dynasties.

"Two-line Seven-Character Poem in Cursive Script on a Fan" by Zhao Ji (Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty), silk scroll. The inscription reads: "Swallow feathers skimming the water turn coldly, fallen petals, wet and heavy." Exhibition period: November 14, 2025 - January 4, 2026.

Among them, the cursive script fan by Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, reads "Swallow feathers skimming the water turn coldly, fallen petals of flowers are wet and heavy." The lines are slender and vigorous, which is in line with his "Slender Gold" style of regular script, but is more refreshing and unrestrained. The brushstrokes are round and smooth, breaking the uniform and neat arrangement of single characters in regular script, thus making it more lively.

"Plum Blossom, Bamboo, and Winter Birds Fan Painting" by Lin Chun, Song Dynasty, ink and color on silk. Exhibition period: November 14, 2025 - January 4, 2026.

"Walking with a Cane in the Suburbs" Fan Painting, Song Dynasty, Ma Lin, Ink and Color on Silk. Exhibition Period: November 14, 2025 - January 4, 2026

"Three Friends of Winter" Fan Painting, Song Dynasty, Zhao Mengjian, Ink on Silk. Exhibition Period: January 6 - February 22, 2026

"Returning Horses by a Stream Bridge (Fan Painting)" by Anonymous Song Dynasty, ink and color on silk. Exhibition period: January 6 - February 22, 2026.

Due to the extreme fragility of Song and Yuan dynasty silk paintings, some exhibits in this exhibition will be displayed in stages to maximize the protection of cultural relics. The following works will be on display from November 14th to January 4th, 2026: Song dynasty Zhao Ji's silk fan painting "Two Lines of Seven-Character Poem in Cursive Script," Song dynasty Lin Chun's silk fan painting "Plum Blossom, Bamboo, and Birds in Winter," and Song dynasty Ma Lin's silk fan painting "Walking with a Staff in the Suburbs." The following works will be on display from January 6th to February 22nd: Song dynasty Zhao Mengjian's silk ink painting "Three Friends of Winter," Song dynasty anonymous silk fan painting "Returning Horses by a Stream Bridge," and Yuan dynasty Sheng Mao's silk fan painting "Autumn River Fishing."

"Autumn River Fishing" Fan Painting, Yuan Dynasty, Sheng Mao, Ink and Color on Silk. Exhibition Period: January 6 - February 22, 2026

According to the museum, this exhibition, based on the research and collation of the Shanghai Museum's collection of fan paintings and calligraphy, aims to trace and present the millennia-long artistic lineage of Chinese fan painting and calligraphy, inviting visitors to appreciate the infinite charm of traditional Chinese culture.

Ming Dynasty

Fan painting of fishing boats under a tree, by Xie Jin (Ming Dynasty), ink and color on paper.

Running script poem on a fan, written by Shen Zhou (Ming Dynasty), with gold lettering.

"Begonia and Mountain Birds Fan Painting" by Qiu Ying, Ming Dynasty, ink and color on gold paper, Qing Dynasty

Qing Dynasty

"Green Mountains and White Clouds Fan Painting" by Wang Yuanqi, Qing Dynasty, ink and color on paper

Orchid and Rock Fan Painting, Qing Dynasty, Bian Yujing, Ink on Gold Paper

"Longevity and Prosperity" in running script, fan-shaped calligraphy, Qing Dynasty, Wu Changshuo (1919), ink and color on paper.

modern

Running script on a fan, modern style, Liang Qichao (1927), ink on paper.

(This article is based on relevant information from the Shanghai Museum)