Liuli China Museum

Liuli China Museum

The Shanghai Liuli Art Museum at No. 25 Taikang Road has recently been completed and opened to the public. As the only liuli art museum in Shanghai, it was founded and designed by Taiwanese artists Chang Yi and Yang Hui-shan.

The museum covers an area of 2,400 square meters with four floors and a total height of 14.7 meters. Two giant metal mesh peony flowers, personally designed by artist Yang Hui-shan, embrace and climb the exterior walls of the museum. By day, their shadows are serene; by night, their forms glow vibrantly, presenting a strong sense of modern art. The first exhibition area of the museum is a 3C micro-cinema hall built to cinema standards, where the opening special screening is an 8-minute new film titled “Nüwa Mends the Sky.” Stepping into the exhibition hall, nearly a hundred pieces of historical liuli treasures tell the story of ancient Chinese liuli, including works by French artist Émile Gallé, known as the “Father of World Liuli,” which were once exhibited at the 19th-century Paris World's Fair. Fifty-four Buddha sculptures showcase the wisdom and dedication of artist Yang Hui-shan over 23 years.

The museum has a total investment of over 20 million RMB, making it the first industry museum in China and Asia to comprehensively exhibit liuli art. It stands near Xintiandi, the fashion hub of Shanghai. Its exterior wall alone is inlaid with more than 4,800 transparent liuli bricks with a texture resembling cave rock. A giant golden peony flower, measuring 10 meters wide, 5 meters high, and weighing 1 ton, hangs prominently on the liuli wall, as if blooming out of the material itself, making it especially eye-catching. Not just the exterior wall, but every detail of the museum projects elements of design—even the ceiling of the elevator room features a fantastical scene created by multimedia projection.

The Liuli Museum is divided into upper and lower levels: the downstairs exhibition area displays a collection of ancient Chinese liuli, masterpieces by world-renowned liuli artists, and new works by 10 contemporary liuli artists from the international liuli scene. The upstairs exudes a strong oriental atmosphere, showcasing representative works by artist Yang Hui-shan of the Liuli Workshop. Six exhibition areas highlight two main themes: one is the creation of Buddhist art, and the other is the extension and recreation of the artistic conception found in Chinese literature and calligraphy.

The most astonishing piece in the exhibition is the “Great Vow of This Life” Guanyin statue, which took 10 years to create. This three-dimensional reconstruction based on a mural from the Yuan Dynasty in the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang stands an impressive 4.5 meters tall and is the only non-liuli artwork in the museum. Above it is a meticulously designed multimedia projection of flying apsaras, while beneath the Guanyin statue are exquisitely translucent yellow liuli lotus flowers.

After nightfall, the Liuli Museum transforms into an art salon. The daytime display platforms slowly descend via mechanical control to become a bar counter. Chairs stored at the side of the platform unfold. At this time, the liuli walls, bathed in sunlight, become colorful, dynamic screens under the lighting. Visitors can enjoy the ambiance of a bar while appreciating the cool elegance of liuli. Moreover, all tableware used for enjoying fine drinks and desserts inside the museum is made of liuli art pieces, making them truly delightful to behold.