Date: November 23, 2023–December 24, 2023

Venue: Public space at Basement 1

Content:

Before the invention of photography, Chinese painters depicted the scenery and social customs along the Grand Canal through their artwork. Paintings such as Beijing to Hangzhou Road Map, Prosperous Suzhou, and The Qianlong Emperor’s Southern Inspection Tour vividly illustrate the bustling scenes along the Grand Canal during the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368–1911). In modern times, photographers from around the world captured unique moments along the canal. Through these documentary photographs, we are transported back in time a hundred years, allowing us to witness the most authentic town landscapes and daily life scenes along both sides of the Grand Canal.

For the Crossing Thousands of Sails: The Grand Canal in Modern Times Images exhibition, the CGCM has selected over 60 photographs taken in the early 20^th century from its collection. These images aim to present the audience with “poetry and distant dreams” related to the Grand Canal over a hundred years ago.