Visit the Shanghai Museum of Glass Art to learn about the stories of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin and the creators of glass flowers
The Shanghai Museum of Glass Art is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-17:00, with the last admission at 16:30. The first floor houses a glass art shop and a café, while the second and third floors feature paid exhibitions.
Yang Huishan is the founder of the museum, and her permanent exhibition is on the third floor. The Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin and glass flowers are the museum's treasures, showcasing her interpretation of Eastern aesthetics.
Since observing the third cave of the Mogao Caves in 1996 and learning that the Dunhuang murals would eventually dry out and peel off, she decided to dedicate her life to preserving culture by casting the Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin statue in glass, leaving behind eternal beauty. Creating a Buddha statue is no easy task; transforming a flat mural into a three-dimensional statue requires attention to numerous details and masterful glass craftsmanship.
The Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin statue in the museum's collection is truly beautiful, with the proportions of the facial features on all four sides being just right, and the posture of each part of the body vividly lifelike. Fan Jinshi, director of the Dunhuang Research Academy, refers to Yang Huishan as the 493rd cave of the Mogao Caves because there are currently only 492 caves at Mogao.
Yang Huishan has always been passionate about life, and glass flowers have been a constant theme in her creations. Glass, burned at a high temperature of 1400 degrees, undergoes more than ten meticulous handcrafting processes to bloom into an eternal glass flower in the flow and transformation.
In addition to the glass art exhibition, there is a temporary Western art exhibition on the second floor from now until September 1: "The Flying Eye—Exploring Contemporary Art at the Legendary Château de Capazza in France," featuring 14 artists and their 46 works, including sculptures, photography, paintings, glass, and ceramics.
The museum is located at 25 Taikang Road, Huangpu District, in the former site of the Shanghai Watch Factory parts workshop. The building's exterior wall is adorned with blooming iron mesh peonies, composed of 5025 petals. At night, the lights illuminate the flowers in a dazzling array of colors.
This article references the official introduction of the Shanghai Museum of Glass Art. For more exciting details, see the museum's official WeChat account. The museum may offer free admission on International Museum Day, May 18 each year.
Next to the Shanghai Museum of Glass Art are the 3A scenic spot Tianzifang and the Sun Moon Light Center at Dapuqiao, which can be visited together. The museum is not far from Dapuqiao Metro Station on Line 9.