Paintings old and new are on display at an exhibition in Putuo District showcasing the art and culture of the Jiangnan region in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

The Jiangnan exhibition of around 50 painting and calligraphy is on until May next year at the Suning Art Museum with visitors given the opportunity to learn about the region’s natural scenery and culture.

Through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) masterpiece “Folks in four seasons of Hangzhou,” for instance, visitors can get a feel for the traditional lifestyle and customs of people in the city in neighboring Zhejiang Province.

Other key exhibits include the paintings of Ming Dynasty artist Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) and art master Zhang Daqian (1899-1983). They depict the mountains and rivers, flowers and birds, and lifestyles in the region in different periods.

Multimedia technologies have been used to revive the scenery of a famous Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368) painting by Zhao Yong, which has an inscription written by the Emperor Qianlong. The riverbanks, fishing boat and fishermen’s lives are displayed in animations.

In cooperation with the time-honored cosmetics brand Xiefuchun, which originated in Yangzhou in neighboring Jiangsu Province in 1830, the exhibition has set up art installations featuring traditional rouges and powders.

The museum on Suzhou Creek has a collection of over 3,000 artworks, mainly paintings, dating back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). It has received over 200,000 visitors since it opened in November 2017, said Zhou Hanyan, director of the Putuo Culture and Tourism Bureau.

“The waterfront of the creek is the birthplace of the city’s cultures and is still the main activity space for local citizens,” Zhou said at the exhibition’s opening ceremony on Wednesday.

The new exhibition and the museum is another key attraction in Putuo’s Changfeng area, which aims to become a cultural cluster mainly for children. Other popular sites in the riverside area include the under-construction Shanghai Children’s Library, Changfeng Park and Changfeng Ocean World.