This fall, the International Education Center at Donghua University (DHU) organized a visit to Shanghai Jiushi Art Museum on the Bund for a group of international students.

The visit was the first museum-based learning activity of the fall 2026 semester under a DHU program that combines Chinese-language learning with an exploration of Shanghai’s art, architecture, and history. With support from the museum, the students took their Chinese lessons beyond the classroom and into a real-life setting.

A staff member gives an introduction.

On the second floor, the students began with the exhibition “Glasstress: The Flowing Carnival of Venice.” Launched in 2009 as an official collateral event of the Venice Biennale, Glasstress has since been presented in cities including New York, London, Stockholm, and St. Petersburg. This was the first time the event had been presented in Shanghai.

Taking the Venice Carnival as its theme, the glass exhibition explored identity and cultural exchange through imagery of masks, costumes, and parades.

Glass Artworks (in the order shown above):

Cosmopolitan Fossil I by Koen Vanmechelen

Nine-Headed Tiger by Wu Jian’an

Same But Only Different by Chila Kumari Singh Burman

Iago’s Mirror by Fred Wilson

Even More Mythical Animals Are on Their Way by Qiu Zhijie

Wrestlers by Robert Wilson

Hard Connections by Laure Prouvost

Mobile #1 (from the series The Rise of the Butterflies) by María Magdalena Campos-Pons

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil by Jaume Plensa

Ashes to Ashes by Antonio Riello

Venice Stack by Sean Scully

Galago by Marta Klonowska

On the third floor, the porcelain exhibition “Worlds Within a Glaze: Ming and Qing Monochromes from the Shanghai Museum” offered a change of pace. It brought together 50 porcelain pieces from the Shanghai Museum’s collection, highlighting the craftsmanship behind monochrome porcelain of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The porcelain exhibition drew attention to the forms and glazes of the vessels on display. The exhibits were arranged in five sections by glaze color: white, yellow, blue, red, and celadon. Together, they offered a glimpse into the long history of Chinese porcelain and its changing artistic styles.

Porcelain Exhibits (in the order shown above):

Zun Vase with Chuxiu Gong (Palace of Gathered Elegance) Mark, Jingdezhen Yellow Glazed Ware

Vase, Jingdezhen Guan-type Glazed Ware

Plate, Jingdezhen Red Glazed Ware

Vase with Garlic-shaped Mouth, Jingdezhen Red Glazed Ware

As they moved through the galleries, the students paused to examine the works, listen to their teacher’s explanations in Chinese, and read the exhibition labels. They used newly learned Chinese vocabulary to describe colors and forms, share their impressions of the artworks, and exchange observations with classmates.

The students also photographed the artworks and wrote brief reflections in Chinese about the pieces that caught their attention.

The two exhibitions introduced students to different approaches to materials and artistic expression, from contemporary glass art to traditional Chinese porcelain. The museum’s location among the Bund’s historic Western-style buildings also linked the visit to Shanghai’s history of cultural exchange.

The museum visit allowed students to explore art from different cultures and discuss what they saw in Chinese, reflecting DHU’s approach to combining Chinese-language learning with firsthand cultural experiences.

 

Source: Donghua University