A Wu Changshuo's painting of peonies.

A Wu Changshuo's painting of plum blossom.

An exhibition honoring maestro Wu Changshuo and his ties to Pudong has opened at the Being Art Museum.

Wu (1844-1927), a prominent painter, poet, calligrapher and seal artist, was considered one of the most acclaimed artists of the late Qing Dynasty. He was known for traditional Chinese painting, especially flowers and birds.

The exhibition, “Wu Changshuo’s Pudong Bond,” open until November 15, features more than 100 exhibits from the collection of Shanghai Wu Changshuo Memorial, some of which are displayed for the first time to the public.

Born in Anji County in Zhejiang Province, he moved to Suzhou City in Jiangsu Province at the age of 37, then began to frequently travel to Shanghai. In 1911, he made up his mind to settle in Shanghai.

He lived up with his family in a shikumen (stone-gate) neighborhood in Jing’an District from 1913 to his death, during which time he earned fame.

However, his relation with Pudong dates back to November in 1890 when he went to the then rural Pudong to gift cotton-padded clothes to beggars. The act was recorded in one of his poems.

Wu had written poems and drawn paintings to express his appreciation of Pudong’s countryside scenes, such as blooming peonies and snow-capped crops. Also, he supported Wang Yiting and Chen Guichun to open Pudong Hospital, now Shanghai East Hospital, one of the city-level public hospitals.