New year offerings, that’s what. Somewhat delightfully, a tiger at Nanjing’s Jinniu Lake Wildlife Kingdom gave birth yesterday, 1 Feb., the 1st day of the Year of the Tiger. And as for those smiling porpoises, that’s the name of an exhibition underway in Nanjing.
Specifically entitled, “Yangtze River Culture · Smiling Finless Porpoise”, the exhibition’s opening ceremony took place on 27 January, providing for a welcome distraction as the Chinese New Year holiday passes.
Being held in Jianye District’s 24 Hours Art Museum, the exhibition is a homage to the finless porpoise that occupies the waters in our stretch of the Yangtze River, as well as a call for greater environmental protection efforts.
With three themed exhibition halls, the exhibition has the purpose to trigger more social groups’ attention to the survival crisis of the finless porpoise and raise a discussion on the harmonious coexistence of city and nature.
Among the highlights, visitors can appreciate the use of hologram technology to show the spirit of the Yangtze River in a decidedly abstract way, the Museum revealed on it’s official WeChat account.
Then there are the displays of historical relics related to the Yangtze River culture, including bathymetric hammers, compasses, sextants, anchors and other nautical items. There are also old-fashioned diving suits, very eye catching with their large metal helmets and big iron shoes. Such diving equipment was used during the construction of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in the 1960s.
Visitors may also view a documentary about the River shot by CCTV, as well as photos of finless dolphins provided by the Nanjing Finless Dolphin Protection Association.
In the very centre of the exhibition, nine small finless porpoise sculptures are on display, taken from the work, ”Watch · Smile”, by artists Wang Li, Zhang Sen and Zhang Li-ze. The original, composed of a large finless porpoise that has disappeared, surrounded by smaller porpoises, illustrates its danger of extinction.
Elsewhere, an enormous collection of 647 posters is to be found, with 66 works from 22 countries and regions worldwide. The posters were collected from Chinese and foreign designers, enthusiasts, teachers and students.
The exhibition, reflecting the beauty and history of the Yangtze River and the urgency of environmental protection, runs until 28 March.
The 24 Hours Art Museum is located near the Nanjing Eye and the International Youth Cultural Centre, at the junction of Yecheng Lu and Jiangshan Jie, some 15 minutes walk from Yuantong Metro Station.
