RAS Art Focus

The Legacy of the Tushanwan Craft School in Shanghai

Saturday, 26 April 2025

1:30 pm to 4:00 pm

We continue our insightful 2024-2025 series China's Arts and Aesthetics of the Past by delving into the material culture of the recent and distant history to assess how objects ranging from imperial patronage to utilitarian handicrafts have shaped China's aesthetics through the ages.

With the exception of Shanghai history specialists and the curious wayward wanderer, some of the city's local residents are not even aware of the small building inscribed T'ou-se-we Museum (also known as Tushanwan 土山湾 Museum) on its façade. The last remnants of the Spanish-styled compound of dormitories, classrooms, and workshops on the former sprawling grounds is now reduced to a small history museum which once housed, fed, and taught many destitute young Chinese boys. While rich in history, the quaint and well-kept museum unfortunately possesses only a few actual artefacts produced during the period when the orphanage was instituted in 1864 until its formal closure in 1962. Established by the foreign Jesuits, the craft school was distinctly tied in its identity as a modern learning institute for Chinese boys and served a crucial social and artistic need in Shanghai during the times of political turmoil as well as commercial prosperity. By incorporating the evidence of recent scholarship, Art Historian Julie Chun re-evaluates the legacy of Xuhui's understudied history of the craft school, which proved to be a vital force in initiating modernism in the development of visual arts in Shanghai.

If the demand is high, we will offer a repeat session of this Art Focus. Please sign up early to guarantee your space. We thank you for your understanding.