Shanghai’s Niche Ways to Play: Visiting the Most Artistic Private Museum

Duration: 2 days. Time: August. Per capita cost: 500 yuan. With whom: Friends. Ways to play: Humanities, petty bourgeoisie, weekend tour. The author visited these places: Shanghai. Published on August 25, 2020, 00:18.

As a metropolis, Shanghai has a great variety of museums. But when it comes to niche ones, this private museum cannot be missed. Taihui Life Cultural Park, the largest private museum in Shanghai, contains countless treasures. With beautiful landscape gardens and ancient Huizhou architecture, it is the museum with the most artistic atmosphere in Shanghai. Then follow in my footsteps and explore this mysterious museum together.

Taihui Life Cultural Park is a museum with a strong artistic atmosphere. The museum covers an area of about 20,000 square meters. The park covers an area of more than 60 mu. It contains more than 40,000 rare collections and exhibits such as cultural relics, calligraphy and painting, sculptures, contemporary art, stone carvings, cultural relics, and ancient architecture. Coming here is like wandering in an ocean of art. School of Shanghai Painting Pavilion, Mingyue Tea Expo Museum, Sculpture Museum, Jadeite Museum, Crystal Museum, Watercolor Museum, Tea Culture and Cultural Creativity Museum. Huizhou architecture, private cuisine, and initial taste museum.

As soon as you arrive at Taihui Life Cultural Park, you will be attracted by this Chinese-style simple and imposing gate. From the door lintel, you can see the beautiful landscape inside the gate at a glance. At the entrance to the park, the front venue is the museum itself and the oriental garden in front of the museum. On one side you can see is the typical Huizhou architecture in China, which is very beautiful. In this industrial area, there can be such a venue. After entering, it seems as if you have come to another kind of beautiful scenery.

After entering the hall, the entire environment is very bright. The large screen in front is playing those stories about tea. It is beautifully filmed and my friends and I are fascinated. Mingyue tea culture is also a major feature of the museum. Although we haven’t visited the museum’s collections yet, the imposing manner of the hall has already amazed us. In some corners of the hall, there are some art collections on display, which are very delicate. The scenes of ancient people’s lives carved on chicken blood stones are vivid and lifelike.

The layout of the museum is a U-shaped design, and the atrium is a sunroom designed with beautiful Chinese landscapes. Although the space is very large, upon closer inspection, there are ancient furnishings everywhere, showing the care of the museum owner. The ancient stone tables and chairs placed in the atrium are also a good place for drinking tea and chatting, making people feel a sense of freedom and comfort.

Exquisite architecture and gardens. Speaking of the ancient architecture outside the museum, this is also the most important collection of the cultural park – six ancient Huizhou architecture. After careful arrangement, the landscapes and architecture seem to bring us to a village in Anhui. The Chinese-style beautiful scenery makes us all delighted. If you come here to take pictures in Hanfu or cheongsam, it should be most appropriate. The ancient Huizhou architecture has been well protected here and now exudes their charm here.

School of Shanghai Painting Pavilion. The School of Shanghai Painting Pavilion is the first exhibition hall we visited. The entire venue is very spacious, and large paintings are placed in glass display cases. The School of Shanghai Painting Pavilion displays classic works of famous artists of the Shanghai School from the late Qing Dynasty to various periods in contemporary times, reflecting the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese painting in Shanghai. The development of Shanghai School painting is based on Jiangnan Wuyue culture and incorporates Western painting, presenting the cultural characteristics of the Shanghai School. Through the School of Shanghai Painting Pavilion, we can better understand Shanghai School culture. The ‘School of Shanghai Painting’ is a school that established a school in Shanghai from the 19th century to the early 20th century and has a profound influence on the history of Chinese art.

The painting ‘Buddha’ is a longevity-themed work by Feng Zikai, featuring the solemn visage of the Buddha and the pine tree symbolizing longevity. ‘Peach of Longevity’ is a creation by Xie Zhiguang, a painter born in Yuyao who once served as a painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy. The meticulous ‘Fine Brushwork Figure’ captivates us with its vivid depiction of a bustling scene, as if the scenery unfolds before our eyes. Huang Shou’s work portrays ancient ladies with a balanced composition and a well-structured, yet dynamic, layout. Artwork is not only confined to paper but can also be exquisitely rendered on fans and other surfaces. ‘Character Style’ by Shi Da’Scholars in Various Aspects’ is authored by Zhang Guiming.

‘Lotus Pond’, painted by Han Tianheng, exhibits a neoclassical style.

The Mingyue Tea Museum is one of the museum’s most important venues. It appears unremarkable from the outside but reveals layers of delightful surprises within. The museum is divided into tea utensil and tea leaf exhibition areas and is the most comprehensive and richly collected tea museum in the Shanghai region. It houses a vast collection of tea utensils, precious tea varieties, and top ten intangible cultural heritage tea crafts. Visitors can fully appreciate the inheritance and development of China’s millennia-old tea culture, as well as its reform and innovation.

At the entrance, a graceful woman sits in a small boat navigating through a lotus pond, exuding classical elegance. This woman is Tea Fairy Bao Lili, a promoter of Chinese tea culture and tea fairy at the Shanghai and Milan World Expos. She is also the founder of Mingyue Culture, dedicated to helping more people understand and deeply learn about tea culture.

The exhibition hall features a movable tea house and a tea room from the Ming and Qing dynasties designed for the sophisticated enjoyment of tea, creating an elegant atmosphere for tea tasting. The beautiful and exquisite tea utensils invite repeated appreciation and tasting.

Following the exhibition path, the tea-making process is introduced, from the discovery of tea to how people began processing tea leaves, until after the unification of the Qin dynasty when the tea-drinking habits of the Bashu region gradually spread to other areas. During the Western Han period, tea became an elegant pastime for the royal court and officials. The exquisite court tea utensils, made entirely of gilded gold, were extremely noble. The collection includes not only domestic utensils but also Japanese matcha utensils. Here, one can also learn about tea brewing and frying arts.

As I passed through one exhibition hall and entered another, an ancient Chinese-style architecture within the hall struck me. It bore a plaque reading ‘Rui Gong’, which means ‘Auspicious Tribute to the Heavenly Dynasty’, a plaque bestowed by the emperor on the Che Shun Hao tea house. This plaque signifies inheritance. Inside the pavilion, a Pu’er tea display was designed based on the prototype of the Ancient Tea Horse Road. The Tea Fairy displayed all the rare Pu’er teas she had collected over the years, arranged according to three significant stages of their development history: Hao-level tea, Yin-level tea, and Qizi Bing tea.

The central tea warehouse of the Mingyue Tea Museum, with the slogan ‘Tea Has Life’ in front, well expresses our attitude towards tea storage. The second floor of the central tea warehouse stores a large amount of ancient tree tea. In addition to its tea storage function, the central tea warehouse can also accommodate up to 50 people for meditation and various other static activities.

Upon arriving here, one feels an immediate sense of tranquility. The Art of Tea Tasting is an essential experience at the Tai Hui Life Culture Park. There are various tea rooms here, each with its own distinctive style. Some are adorned with ancient books, others exude a noble aura, and some embody the elegance of a gentle lady. Despite their differences, they all offer a moment of leisurely enjoyment.

The top floor features an elegant tea room for VIP guests, which is even more impressive with its luxurious decorations. The rooftop also boasts beautiful landscapes of mountains and waters, although the heat of summer deterred us from exploring it.

The ‘Rui Gong’ within the Hui-style architecture is a grand building with a typical Hui-style layout. Stepping inside on a hot summer day indeed brings a hint of coolness. Here, we savored tea prepared by a tea artist, ‘Xing Wu’, a Yunnan ancient tree Pu’er tea, rich in aroma and flavor. We enjoyed a peaceful time of tea tasting and chatting, which was the most beautiful experience during the sweltering summer days. Watching the tea artist brew tea is also an artistic pleasure.

The Crystal Hall, located on the second floor of the Mingyue Tea Museum, houses delicate display cases in a modest-sized room. The crystals here are a collection of exquisite works from renowned domestic craftsmen, offering a grand crystal appreciation experience to all visitors. Crystal carvings mostly depict Buddha statues, using the clear crystal material to express the Buddhist concept of ’emptiness and purity’. The crystal Buddha statues at the entrance are made of quartz, brought to life by the hands of famous domestic sculptors, showcasing the crystal’s spirit and charm vividly as if they possess a life of their own, fully displaying the purity and agility of crystal. Rose quartz is also a common type of crystal, and the carved works are very beautiful, with a warm color. The purpose of meticulously polishing a precious crystal stone is not to showcase the skill but to bring out the inherent light of the crystal, achieving the highest state of ‘following the natural law, unity of heaven and man’.

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**The Sculpture Hall**

The Sculpture Hall is an exhibition hall that brings me a lot of fun. It displays more than eighty works created by three generations of Chinese sculptors. Many sculptures at the entrance are themed around red themes, stirring up a sense of passion. The latter half of the exhibition hall showcases modern Chinese sculptures, including realistic concerns and abstract expressions. The sculptures vary in size, with expressions and movements carved so lifelike. In the Sculpture Hall, the light from the lamps casts shadows on the sculptures, creating a more three-dimensional effect.

> **Notable Sculpture**: It is said that this sculpture is the work of Ren Zhe, the teacher of Yang Mi, which is surprising to learn that the young star is also skilled in sculpture, admirable indeed.

> **Interactive Art**: The most magical is this sculpture on the wall, seen from different angles, the perspective of this woman varies, sometimes she seems to be looking at us, sometimes she seems to be passing by in a hurry, truly magical!

**The Jade Pavilion**

Adjacent to the Sculpture Hall, The Jade Pavilion showcases classic works of art by the most influential jade sculptors of the contemporary era. The exhibits mainly consist of high-end jade ornaments, luxurious materials, unique craftsmanship, and distinctive modernity, representing the highest level of contemporary jade art. Similarly, the jade works are primarily of Bodhisattvas, carrying many beautiful expectations. There are also jade cabbages depicted so vividly that the two jade rabbits are very charming.

**Watercolor Art Museum**

Watercolor painting is not only the simplest tool for popularizing painting knowledge but also the most convenient method for artists to create drafts. As an independent genre of painting, watercolor possesses its own history and aesthetic value. The Watercolor Art Museum showcases works with themes ranging from urban landscapes to pastoral scenes and production construction scenes, reflecting the characteristics of each era and embodying the historical trajectory of development and changes across the country.

> **Seasonal Beauty**: The beautiful scenery of red leaves in the mountain recesses is vividly depicted as if we truly witnessed the splendor of autumn.

**Oil Painting Museum**

Across from the Tea Culture Museum is the Oil Painting Museum. Although the number of paintings is not large, the theme exhibition of ‘The Turbulent Years’ is quite impressive. This is a special exhibition to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. We carefully observe each painting, slowly revisiting history. Through such artworks, visitors can better reminisce about the turbulent years of the revolutionary era, comprehend the hardships of war, and relearn the spirit of the Long March of the Red Army.

**Good Eight Art Museum and Cultural Store**

The entrance to the Good Eight Art Museum on Nanjing Road leads to a cultural and creative art store. After visiting all the venues and savoring the experience, we return to the art store to view cultural and creative products. The exquisite artworks here are all for sale, so if you like any, consider purchasing one or two pieces to take home. The cultural store primarily focuses on the theme of ‘Ming Yue’ culture, offering many valuable tea sets and teas, all exquisitely beautiful. In addition, there are some beautiful porcelains and utensils displayed on each showcase counter. The store also includes exquisite Japanese fabrics (Japanese kimono sashes) sourced from Japan.

> **Cultural Corners**: Another corner of the cultural store is a tastefully decorated clothing area, filled with Chinese-style ancient costumes, with elegant colors as the main theme.

**Private Cuisine Cultural Garden**

The food at the Private Cuisine Cultural Garden is also a major highlight, with an elegant environment and authentic local dishes that will make your taste buds bloom. Braised pork, a specialty of Shanghai, is cooked with thick oil and soy sauce, enhanced with sugar, making it incredibly delicious. Nowadays, local dishes also incorporate some spicy elements to make the dishes more refined and delicious. Garlic shrimp, a dish that requires skill, is best enjoyed in this season when seafood is at its most tender and plump, steamed simply for maximum freshness. The same goes for the plump razor clams of the season, perfectly cooked with a touch of scallion oil. Stir-fried razor clams are also the best seafood of the season, with full meat and little sand, making them chewy and satisfying. Salted pork with cabbage, the broth is poured over the cabbage, complemented by the flavor of salted pork. Egg yolk tofu, the tofu and egg yolk soup complement each other, creating a salty, fresh, and tender taste that is very enjoyable. River fish, after being simmered, are rich and nutritious, and summer is actually also a good season for nourishment.

> **Seasonal Delights**: Exquisite meals, the freshest ingredients of the season, this private cuisine meal makes the whole summer wonderful.

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**Unexpectedly, Visiting a Museum Also Leads to an Encounter with Delicious Food**

Visiting a museum can be more than just an educational experience; it can also be a culinary adventure. The museum boasts its own club-style hotel, where rooms are adorned with a Chinese aesthetic, creating an elegant and warm atmosphere that feels like coming home.

**Accommodation and Ambience**

The cultural garden is a private haven, offering a tranquil retreat for those seeking peace and quiet. It’s highly recommended to spend at least one night here, allowing you to savor the experience at a leisurely pace. The public areas outside the rooms are also designed in a Chinese style, providing a serene space for rest and reception.

**Transportation Options**

Tai Hui Life Cultural Garden is conveniently located at No. 89 Yuan Shun Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai. Here are a few ways to get there:

1. **Subway**: Take subway line 2 and transfer to subway line 16 to the Wildlife Park Station. From there, a taxi ride will take you to the destination.
2. **Taxi from the Airport**: It’s a 20-minute taxi ride from Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
3. **Self-driving**: For those who prefer to drive, the garden is easily accessible by car.

**Ticket Price and Additional Information**

The ticket price for visiting the ten major theme museums of Tai Hui Life is 100 yuan per person. There are also alternative study routes available for those who wish to explore more.

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