Third Cross-Strait Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition Opens in Shanghai

What changed

A third Cross-Strait calligraphy and painting exchange exhibition opened in Shanghai on October 12, marking the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s birth. It displays 81 works of calligraphy, Chinese painting and seal carving by artists from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including a new calligraphy piece by Taiwan poet Wei Yangzhe titled “Reflections at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.”

Why it matters

The exhibition turns a familiar political idea into something visitors can actually stand in front of: ink on paper, carved seals and shared historical references. Its organizers present Sun Yat-sen’s legacy as common ground and describe art as a bridge for cross-Strait ties.

That framing is significant because the event is cultural before it is diplomatic. The works are being used to connect memories of Sun Yat-sen, attachment to homeland and hopes for closer relations through a language that does not require a policy agreement to be understood.

Wei’s work gives the exhibition its clearest personal angle. He said a visit to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing prompted him to reflect on the revolutionary figure’s ideals, the dream of a republic and the hope of eventual reunification. Those are grand themes, but the medium is intimate: a poem written out by hand and placed among other artists’ responses.

A local attendee said he hopes the exhibition will eventually travel to Taiwan. That tour has not been confirmed, but the request points to the exhibition’s practical test: whether this shared cultural space remains in Shanghai or crosses the Strait itself.