ZHANG NAIQI'S CULTURAL RELICS EXHIBITION

Service Description

Zhang Naiqi (1897-1977) was a well-known Chinese patriot, national capitalist, economist, and antiquarian. Zhang was imprisoned prior to the Chinese people's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression for his opposition to Chiang Kai-autocracy shek's and non-resistance policy, and was one of the "Seven Gentlemen," a famous association for national salvation; after the "July 7" Incident, he was released with the help of people from various circles; after the war of resistance was won, he initiated the establishment of China Democratic National Construction Association. He was appointed Central People's Government Minister of Grains in 1952. In the 1950s and 1960s, Zhang Naiqi donated his collections to the Palace Museum twice. In the 1980s, his family made a third donation to the National Museum of China. The way Zhang Naiqi became discerning was to learn from historians, scholars and senior collectors, such as Ye Gongchuo, Zhang Boju and Sun Yingzhou.His exchanges with them aided in the expansion of his collection. He also made friends with trustworthy antique dealers who would contact him when they discovered high-quality items. Historian Zhang Lifan, the late Zhang Naiqi's son, recalls his childhood home in a siheyuan, Beijing's traditional quadrangle-style courtyard house, being decorated with hardwood furniture made in the classical Chinese style and the many antiquities that his late father Zhang Naiqi had collected over decades. Zhang Lifan claims that his father ordered a large number of boxes to store the objects, along with a note containing basic information, his opinions, and sometimes the appraisal opinions of other collectors. Now a selection of 120 artifacts from that donation to the National Museum of China, includes nearly every category of Chinese artwork, are up for public viewing at a permanent exhibition titled Affections Toward His Nation, which marks the 120th anniversary of Zhang Naiqi's birth. Zhang Lifan defines collecting as a process in which people own something once but not forever. "If you're lucky enough to have antique objects, you get a lot of pleasure from handling them, and that's all a collector can ask for." Tips: - Wed, May 30 @ 10 : 00 am - 5 : 00 pm - The museum open from Tuesday to Sunday 9 : 00 am to 5 : 00 pm. Closed on Mondays (except national holidays). - The exhibition is free to attend. Visitors can schedule appointments online up to 7 days in advance. - Gallery N16, National Museum of China