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Last semester we were extremely fortunate to have the renowned architectural historian of China, Dr. Liu Chang, to share his insight in a three-hour seminar with us. Dr. Liu discussed Qianlong's famous eighteenth-century pavilion and garden in Beijing's Forbidden City. Discovered at the beginning of the new millennium, this precious jewel of late eighteenth-century art and architecture entails designs and delicate constructions that incorporate jade and silk pavilions, murals adorned with European-style paintings, and refined--if not even avant-garde--ornaments that combine elements of Chinese and European features.
In his seminar, Dr. Liu discussed the decade-long restoration, with massive funding raised from both within and outside of China. Today, the Palace Museum is preparing to open this complex for public viewing, as well as explaining the changes of the Forbidden City during Qianlong's reign.
Dr. Liu has been China's representative to the World Monuments Fund since 2000. He is an old friend of UD and has collaborated on many projects with the Department of Art History, Art Conservation, and our colleagues at Winterthur. And we also look forward to welcoming Dr. Liu back to UD-Winterthur for his spring visit in 2017.
For more details in English about Emperor Qianlong's retirement lodge, see:
www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/arts/design/01forb.html
www.nytimes.com/2006/08/02/world/asia/02china.html
