In addition to the World Heritage site Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, Kaiping Art Museum is also a hidden paradise for art lovers in Jiangmen. It has a rich collection of exhibits recording the history and lives of overseas Chinese.
Featuring the fusion of Eastern scenery and Western painting techniques, the collections in the Kaiping Art Museum are mainly oil paintings, portrait paintings, Chinese paintings of landscapes, bamboo, flowers and birds. Most painters of the collections are overseas Chinese who lived abroad or studied in Japan and European countries in the early 20th century, such as Situ Qiao, Luo Gongliu, and Hu Gentian.
In the 1980s, Chinese-Australian Deng Kai funded the first art museum in Kaiping's Changsha Park. Situ Qi, a master of Chinese painting, then raised money to build the second art museum in Kaiping Xianglong. At that time, Kaiping won instant fame for having two museums in one county.
Collections from the Kaiping Art Museum (Photo: Kaiping Art Museum WeChat account)
Not far from the museum, there is also the Kaiping Diaolou, defensive multi-storey tower-style buildings in villages. The Diaolou is a complex and brilliant integration of Chinese and western building structures and decorative forms. In 2007, Guangdong Kaiping Diaolou and Villages were included in the World Heritage List.
If you are interested in architecture and fine arts, Kaiping would be a great choice. Overlook the unique architectural complex against the backdrop of morning glow, then stroll at leisure through a gallery and appreciate museum pieces in the afternoon, and in the evening, find a restaurant to taste Jiangmen delicacies.
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00, closed on Mondays.
Ticket price: Free
Tel: 0750-2331571, 0750-2273031, 0750-2273029
Add.: Culture and Art Center, No. 37 Dongxing Avenue, Changsha Street, Kaiping, Guangdong (广东省开平市长沙街道东兴大道37号文化艺术中心)
Author: Ariel, Serena (intern)
Editor: Wing, Monica, Jerry
