Something Different
We skipped the Luohu Commercial City—and so should you. Shenzhen is a lot more than elbowing housewives out the way in order to buy that Balenciaga bag in a shady shop. Hear are some alternatives ideas for your trip up north.
He Xiangning Art Museum
After you’ve eaten, shopped and spa-ed your way around the city, reserve a few hours to take in some art. The museum, which opened in 1997, has a permanent collection devoted to the work of painter and social activist He Xiangning (1878-1972). But if traditional painting isn’t to your taste, there is more current art on show. In addition to collecting and exhibiting He’s work, the museum is also devoted to researching and exhibiting local and international contemporary art.
It’s worth the trip to Shenzhen just to see the private museum’s current exhibition, “Compound Eye,” which ends on July 11. The show features the photography of husband and wife team Rong Rong and inri, who began collaborating in 2000. The photographs are primarily black-and-white prints, and the style is that of personal documentary. The couple sticks to traditional photographic practice, using film and darkroom techniques, rather than digital cameras and retouching. Whether it’s photographs of the couple’s many adorable cats, or of the team that helped build the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing (which the couple funded privately to promote photography and video art), there’s a compelling charm to all the work, and a refreshing sense of humour in approach and subject.
On the Sunday we visited the museum, there were a number of families walking around, discussing the works. No one was shying away from examining the nude self-portraits (even with a seven-year-old kid in tow), or counting the cats in the various photographs. We sat and watched an informative documentary that highlights the couple’s art practice, as well as their epic undertaking in building the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. By the time we left, we were Rong Rong and inri fans.
Until July 11. Shennan Rd., Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District, (86-755) 2660-4540, www.hxnart.com. Near the Hua Qiao Cheng metro station.
O-CAT
After hitting He Xiangning Art Museum, take a 10-minute walk to O-CAT (Contemporary Art Terminal). On the way, enjoy the tree-lined walkway and savor the feeling that you’re not wandering around a busy city.
O-CAT was established in 2005 by the He Xiangning Art Museum in a former factory space and is comprised of some 32,000 square feet of exhibition halls, offices and an area devoted to hosting annual international artist residencies. There’s a ton to see, and a lot of ground to cover, so comfortable walking shoes are necessary. Stop by Umi Space (located at F1-104-107) for exhibitions featuring up-and-coming young artists. Once you’ve tired of trekking around the massive space, and talking art talk, there are a number of restaurants and cafés in the area, including a Starbucks (a sign, for better or worse, that the space has really arrived as a sightseeing location).
O-CAT, Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District, (86-755) 2691-6199, www.ocat.com.cn. Near the Qiao Cheng Dong metro station.
Century Furnishings Central Mall
Interior furnishing and furniture fans will enjoy a trip to this sprawling complex of strip malls, split into A, B and C areas (each area is as humongous as our Convention Centre in Wan Chai, so happy walking). Peruse the showrooms of furniture styles, from quaint American country to I-am-so-nouveau-riche-I-want-a-gilded-room-like-Versailles; from antique Qing to modern Chinese minimalism. There are door handles in one wing, ceramic tiles in another. Want Egyptian hieroglyphics on your wall, or a bathroom like a Ming tomb? It’s all there (made in Shandong though). Area C, with all the remarkable designer knockoff lamps, is especially popular with the locals.
Shennan Dalu, Futian District, (86-755) 8731-0111, www.sz-sjzx.com. Near the Xiangmihu metro station
