He Xiangning Art Museum

He Xiangning Art Museum is a national-level art museum located in the Nanshan district of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Inaugurated in 1997, it holds the distinction of being the first national art museum in China named after an individual. The institution is dedicated to the painter, revolutionary, and politician He Xiangning, whose life spanned from 1878 to 1972. Beyond preserving and exhibiting her artistic legacy, the museum serves as a venue for contemporary art and international cultural exchange.

The central authorities approved the construction of the museum on May 13, 1995. Construction commenced on March 1, 1996, and the building was completed and officially opened on April 18, 1997. The name of the museum was inscribed by Jiang Zemin, then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The institution's naming honors He Xiangning, a leading figure in the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, the wife of assassinated KMT left leader Liao Zhongkai, and the mother of Liao Chengzhi, who formerly headed the Overseas Chinese Commission. This familial connection to the Overseas Chinese Commission influenced the museum's placement in the Overseas Chinese Town area, which was a state farm administered by the commission prior to the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

The museum's fundamental mission is the collection, display, and research of He Xiangning's paintings, calligraphy, and archival materials. It also collects and preserves the work of related artists and historical art materials. Its broader academic focus includes planning, exhibiting, and researching outstanding traditional art, overseas Chinese art, and women's art, alongside introducing and promoting domestic and international contemporary art. Supporting this scope is a specialized library of approximately 6,000 books. The library focuses on six research areas: He Xiangning's art archives, modern intellectual and academic histories, modern art history, western art history research, contemporary art, and art history seminar documents. The library builds its collection through book exchanges, donations, and procurement, functioning as a venue for academic research and international exchange.

The museum holds a substantial collection of He Xiangning's artworks, which serve as visual records of her seventy-year revolutionary career. Her painting style, influenced by the Lingnan School and her early training in Tokyo under the Japanese nihonga painter Tanaka Raisho, combines delicate traditional Chinese colors with meticulous Japanese brushstrokes and Western techniques. Her recurring motifs, such as pine trees, plum blossoms, lions, tigers, and landscapes, were used to express her moral and political convictions. For instance, her depictions of plum blossoms symbolize courage and integrity, while her lions and tigers embody the patriotism of Chinese revolutionaries. Many of her works in the collection feature inscriptions and collaborations with other artists and national leaders, adding historical and cultural value. The museum has actively loaned these holdings for international exhibitions, including a major 2019 retrospective at the National Gallery Singapore featuring over 50 of her works.

The museum building has a total floor area of over 5,000 square meters and comprises three floors. Its architectural design employs gray and white tones to project elegance and solemnity, reflecting the character of He Xiangning and the principles of practicality and moderation. Visitors approach via an expansive plaza connected to the west gate of the China Folk Culture Villages, ascending over a dozen granite steps and crossing a pedestrian overbridge more than twenty meters long. The exterior features recessed walls contrasting with protruding glass boxes, and long rectangular openings in a curved wall reveal swaying green bamboo stalks. Inside, a courtyard-style atrium serves as a transitional space aligned with the central axis of the overbridge and main exhibition hall. Three sides of the atrium feature large wooden lattice windows and doors. The interior design incorporates external scenery, notably using large transparent glass panels on the third-floor staircase to frame the stone forest from the adjacent Folk Culture Village like a landscape painting. A skywell atrium and glass skylights in public halls create interplays between interior and exterior spaces, projecting dynamic light and shadow patterns. Facilities include main and auxiliary exhibition halls, a multifunctional lecture hall, public education areas, a cafe, a book bar, collection storage, archives, a library, a mounting studio, and offices.

The museum is located in the Overseas Chinese Town area of Nanshan, Shenzhen. It is adjacent to major cultural tourism sites, including Splendid China Folk Village, China Folk Culture Villages, and Window of the World, and is directly connected to the west gate entrance of the China Folk Culture Villages. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with last admission at 4:30 PM, and is closed on Mondays except for public holidays. Admission is free. The institution is currently directed by Cai Xianliang, with Cheng Bin serving as deputy director. Through its exhibitions and academic research, the museum aims to promote traditional Chinese culture, advance socialist spiritual civilization, and foster cultural and artistic exchanges between the Chinese art community and international counterparts.