National Art Museum of China

The National Art Museum of China is situated in the city centre of Beijing. Although it's not near an underground station, it's easy to find this museum, because its building looks different in style from its surroundings and thus can be seen easily. Below is a picture of the building.

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The entry is free of charge, but visitors have to show their ID to get a free ticket. Without a valid ID, a visitor will be refused entry (I've no idea why).

This museum has no permanent exhibition, but it always has temporary exhibitions. I've been there many times, each time I could find something beautiful on display. Most of the exhibits have been Chinese paintings, but sometimes there were foreign paintings on loan from foreign galleries or museums. Now let me show you some photos of the exhibited Chinese paintings I like.

Above is a painting of an ancient fleet of China. This painting was done with Chinese painting brushes and inks on silk. It shows all details of the ships, the waves, the traditional Chinese buildings and even the dolphins. The dark part may represent the sea far away from the shore.

This picture is a small part of a very old landscape painting, painted by an 18-year-old young man called Wang Ximeng in AD 1114, Song Dynasty. It was, of course, painted with traditional Chinese painting brushes and inks on silk. It doesn't only show the details of the huts and the trees but also show the edges and corners of every part of the mountains. I think the most striking aspect of the painting is its colours. Although blue is not something that should appear on tops of mountains, the blue in this painting looks so natural and mixes so well with green that it gives me an illusion that blue should be on mountain tops in nature.

This portrait... Wait, do you think of another painting, a famous Western oil painting? I'm sure that Durer comes to your mind now! Yes, this contemporary Chinese painting was inspired by the self-portrait of Durer. However, this is not an oil painting; it was also painted, like the above-mentioned paintings, with Chinese brushes and inks. Although I don't understand why the person in the painting is omitted or why there's a pipe, I find this painting interesting.

Here comes a Chinese oil painting. Maybe you're not sure what object this painting is depicting, so let me tell you first: it's a rice terrace on a hill. If you want to know more about Chinese terraces, just google 'Chinese terraces' and you'll see many photos of this type of landscape. Apparently this painting is showing a misty morning. When the sunbeam goes through the clouds, it casts light on the terrace, leaving the other parts of the mountains in a blur.

Last, let me show you this Chinese watercolour painting. I personally don't like watercolours, but I like this one because it looks like a worn-out photo.

If you find the pictures above intriguing and want to see more Chinese painting, just go visit the National Art Museum of China yourself when you're in Beijing. Remember to bring your passport, and don't get there after 4pm because it doesn't allow anyone in after 4pm although the museum is closed at 5pm.