Punch in Shanghai | Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall: Create a “Shanghai Style Cultural Reception Room”Fly into the homes of ordinary people
Passing through the Yan’an Road Tunnel from Puxi, the first thing that catches the eye is undoubtedly the towering “three-piece skyline” on the left. But if you look to the right at this time, you can find a quaint old house, hidden in the green land of Lujiazui, which is particularly mysterious and special among the high-rise buildings. It is the only residence of Chen Guichun, a cultural relic protection unit in Shanghai, in Lujiazui. It also has a more famous name-Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall.
Caption:Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall.Xinmin Evening News reporter Photo by Sun Zhongqin
Wu Changshuo was born in Anji, Zhejiang. He was a master of art in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Inheriting the past and the future, he can be regarded as a master of a generation, who influenced many later painters in art, and many modern painting masters either came from his disciples or were influenced by his art. Such as Chen Shizeng, Qi Baishi, etc., as well as Huang Binhong, Pan Tianshou, Fu Baoshi, Li Keran, etc., were all influenced by Wu Changshuo.
From the early winter of 1887 to the summer and autumn of 1888, Wu Changshuo lived in Pudong temporarily. In the winter of 1890, he went to Pudong to carry out charity and help the victims. When living in Pudong several times, due to the difficult life, he once lived on Lannidu Road in the Lujiazui area with low rent. It was this period of poverty and perseverance that enabled Wu Changshuo to maintain his common people’s spirit, frugal character and great love throughout his life. Since there were many flower farmers in Pudong who were good at growing peony at that time, Wu Changshuo created the “Pudong Peony Flower Picture” in 1895, and made friends with Pudong celebrities Qian Hui’an, Yang Sisheng, Li Pingshu and others for cultural exchanges. Doing good deeds, making friends, traveling, creating… Wu Changshuo has a long relationship with Pudong.
On January 18 this year, the Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall reopened after more than two years of closure for repairs and upgrades. In the Lujiazui area where every inch of land is expensive, the Pudong New Area will build the Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall into a “Shanghai Culture Reception Hall”. In the memorial hall, many authentic works of Wu Changshuo’s calligraphy and paintings are displayed. Including “Spring, Summer, Autumn,winter“The picture is the treasure of the memorial hall; Wu Changshuo and Ni Tian’s “Sacrifice to the Ancestors Picture” presents the traditional custom of offering sacrifices to ancestors in the old Spring Festival; a wooden rocking chair sofa used by Wu Changshuo has a history of more than 100 years. , It can still be used normally. The exhibition restores the scene, allowing citizens and tourists to immerse themselves into the “Literati Study” of this Shanghai-style giant.
Caption:Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall.Xinmin Evening News reporter Photo by Sun Zhongqin
In addition to the exhibits, the architecture of the memorial itself is also quite interesting. Chen Guichun, the former owner of the Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall in Shanghai, is a friend of Wu Changshuo. Green bricks and red bricks are piled up alternately, windows, doors, beams and beams are carefully carved, and the architectural style is a combination of Chinese and Western styles, which makes Chen Guichun’s residence enjoy the reputation of “Pudong Carved Building”. It is the only “century old house” and municipal cultural relic in Lujiazui area The protection unit, its complete preservation has enabled the cultural genes of the Lujiazui area to continue to this day.
There are eight halls at the front and back of the building, and six wing rooms; the main hall is tall and spacious, using a bucket of nine liters, which is rarely seen in ordinary houses; the facade of the building adopts a Western-style triangular mountain flower wall; In addition to upgrading to three levels, beams, purlins, and squares are also engraved with a whole set of stories from “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”; at the same time, western patterns such as lilies, tulips, and roses are also displayed with traditional Chinese woodcut techniques…Based on the closed renovation period Based on the first-hand information obtained, the memorial made a 3D modeling video of the building, which was simultaneously released in the exhibition.
Wu Yue, the great-grandson of Wu Changshuo, the executive curator of the Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial Hall, and a famous artist, told reporters that in an area like Lujiazui where every inch of land is expensive, it is undoubtedly a visionary masterpiece to preserve this building with historical and artistic value. “We want to tell the master’s story, the Pudong story, and the Chinese story well through the memorial hall, and pass on the master’s spirit of cultural awareness, cultural self-confidence, and cultural self-improvement from generation to generation.”
Xinmin Evening News reporter Li Yineng
Editor: Yu Jingtao
