China’s Hidden Century

Ambitious and fascinating exhibition at the British Museum looking at China from 1796 to 1912.

The premise was that we think of that time as a period of decline but it was also a time of great creativity and social, political and technological change.

Again this show had beautiful objects but there was almost too much story to tell in one show, considering the military section listed seven wars and up uprisings in the century there was a lot to understand about a subject I knew very little about at the start.

I loved the use of clothing in the show which felt quite unusual for the British Museum and I am increasingly fascinated by Chinese painting. I think my favourite pieces were the volumes of an illustrated journal of stories from around the world. I loved the New York firemen shown here.

Closes 8 October 2023


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