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- Date : Open on December 28, 2017
- Venue : Gallery N16
- Hosted by : National Museum of China
Zhang Naiqi (1897-1977), native of Qingtian, Zhejiang Province, was a famous patriot advocating democracy in China, and a national capitalist, economist and antiquarian. Before the Chinese people’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Zhang was imprisoned for his opposition against Chiang Kai-shek’s autocracy and nonresistance policy, and was one of the “Seven Gentlemen”, a famous association for national salvation,; after the “July 7” Incident, he was released with the help of people from various circles; after the war of resistance was won, he initiated the establishment of China Democratic National Construction Association; around the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, he participated in the preparatory work for the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and acted as Head of the CPPCC Financial and Economic Group; in 1952, he was appointed Minister of Grains of the Central People’s Government.
With keen enthusiasm for the protection of cultural heritage in China, Zhang was fond of collection and often exchanged views with famous collectors and connoisseurs such as Ye Gongchuo, Zhang Boju and Sun Yingzhou. His collections mainly included six categories, namely bronzes, ceramics, bronze mirrors, jade articles, lacquer wares, and seals. Upon the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Zhang and his family, in active response to the state’s call, donated his precious collections to the state in batches, including over 1,000 articles donated to our museum.
As 2017 is the 120th anniversary of Mr. Zhang’s birth, we’ve selected over 120 fine cultural relics from this batch of donations to demonstrate Mr. Zhang’s patriotism and nobility of “turning family treasures into national treasures”.
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