Newman Huo

A SPECIAL exhibition of Chinese paintings, calligraphic works and books donated by Chinese American Shen Tafu and his wife Shen Xiangruo is being staged at the Shenzhen Museum until March 30.

The exhibits were selected from a total of 125 Chinese paintings, 85 calligraphic works and 1,119 books the Chinese American couple donated to the museum in August 2003.

The majority of Chinese paintings and calligraphic works donated by the couple are from the period of the Republic of China (1911-1948) and the period of Kuomintang’s rule in Taiwan from the 1950s through the 1970s, with more than 10 from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

“Most of the art works donated by Shen and his wife were done by well-known statesmen, artists, and social celebrities in Taiwan, such as Yu Youren, Li Shizeng, Xu Shiying, Dong Zuobing and Ma Yifu,” said Yang Yaolin, curator of the Shenzhen Museum.

“These art works, which can be rarely seen in museums on the Chinese mainland, showcase the art and cultural scenes of Taiwan in a certain period and have filled a gap in our museum’s collection,” Yang said.

Most of the donated books include dictionaries, art, and poetry anthologies that were published in Taiwan in the middle of last century.

“These books are a reflection of the collector’s special interest as well as the development of the publishing industry in Taiwan over a particular period,” he said.

Born in Longyan in Fujian Province in 1911, Shen was a celebrated Chinese writer, poet and art collector based overseas. Since his childhood, he had been fond of traditional Chinese art and poetry.

At the age of 14, he began to publish poems and short stories in newspapers in Shao-xing, Zhejiang Province.

Before moving his family to Taiwan in 1948, he had been editor-in-chief for several influential newspapers in South China.

He launched a poetry magazine and published an anthology of poetry in Taiwan in the 1950s, which made him one of the most important Taiwanese poets of the time.

In the 1960s, he organized many art exhibitions in Taipei, and became acquainted with many artists and social celebrities in Taiwan.

His wife, born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in 1914, was a primary school teacher and a well-known painter specializing in Chinese plum flowers.

In the late 1970s, Shen and his wife decided to emigrate to the United States and settle in California.

At the invitation of Chen Tuyuan, a Shenzhen-based writer and secretary general of the Global Chinese Poetry Association, Shen and his wife came to Shenzhen to attend a Chinese poetry conference in September 2000. Shen expressed to Chen his private wish that he intended to donate his collection of art works and books to Shenzhen only if a collection and display room in his pen name was set up in the city.

Chen wrote a letter to Yu, the then mayor of Shenzhen after Shen and his wife returned to the Untied States.

Just one week later, Yu replied to Chen’s request, asking him to immediately contact the Shenzhen Municipal Administrative Committee for Cultural Relics.

In August 2003, entrusted by the committee, Wang Bi, the former curator of the Shenzhen Museum and Guo Xuelei, an expert in cultural relics appraisal with the museum, flew to California and packaged all the donations by Shen and his wife into 16 large boxes and shipped them to Shenzhen.

Because of their old age, Shen and his wife were unable to fly from the United States to attend the opening ceremony for their donations at the Shenzhen Museum on Tuesday.

Dates: Through March 30
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Monday
Add: Shenzhen Museum, 1008 Shennan Road Central, Futian District (福田区深南中路1008号深圳博物馆)
Buses: 12, 101, 103, 113, 204, 215, 223, K113, K204
Metro: Da Ju Yuan Station (Grand Theater Station 大剧院站), Exit B