The Shanghai Jing'an: Then and Now - A U.S. Touring Exhibition kicked off in New York, offering American audiences and international visitors a vivid glimpse of Jing'an District's Haipai historical context and humanistic warmth through historical objects, photos and archives.
The exhibition showcased vintage objects, then-and-now photographs and historical archives of Jing'an District to take audiences through its streets, commercial development memories, and aesthetics of life, recreating its century-old charm and culture.
Organized in four sections, namely urban spaces, everyday objects, historical documents and people-to-people exchanges, the exhibition displayed Jing'an's contemporary and archival images illustrating the evolution of the district's streets and landmarks, vintage objects evoking commercial memories of Shanghai citizens' everyday life and historical newspapers and publications tracing how Jing'an first entered the global spotlight.
These vintage objects and photos not only enabled audiences to gain a deeper understanding of both Shanghai and Jing'an, but also presented to them the district's openness, inclusiveness and innovation spirit.
Curator Zhu Yining, who is also the international ambassador of Jing'an District, and founder of SimpliCity, said that he hoped this exhibition could transcend the barriers of physical distances and language, and recreate the history of the district through readable, touchable, tangible and perceptible approaches, making Jing'an a gateway for the world to understand Shanghai.
Michael Edwards, a consultant of Global Business Districts Innovation Club and former president and CEO of Chicago Loop Alliance, praised the exhibition for its carefully selected exhibits and well-planned presentation. It laid out a portrait of Jing'an combining its historical legacy, present vitality and future aspirations in harmony.
Charles A. Riley II, director of China Institute Gallery of China Institute in America, was particularly impressed by the exhibition's way of presenting the district's profound history with a simple approach of interpretation. He said that the combination of old and new photographs with century-old newspapers and archival documents created a vivid panorama of Jing'an's past, making the history as clear as if it were right before visitors' eyes. (Edited by Li Xueqing with Xinhua Silk Road, lixueqing@xinhua.org)
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