Faces of time

What people look like in their own eyes and what others look like lies at the heart of an ongoing exhibition at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts, which runs until Nov 12. It comprises a selection of iconic figure paintings and portraits from the collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum of Japan. The exhibition, Faces of Time, navigates the progress of Western portraiture spanning five centuries. Through these faces and images from different periods of time, one is introduced to people of different character, social standing and virtue, in the process offering a glimpse into the changes to social life, vividly presented in art that still sparkles at a time when photography is highly dominant.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-6655-0000.

Calligraphic view

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) produced dozens of calligraphers of prominence and creativity, among them Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu and Cai Xiang, whose accomplishments are grounded in the yearslong cultivation of arts and culture, as well as diverse life experiences and acute observation of their times. A Grand View of Artistic Intention, a calligraphy exhibition now on at the Zhejiang Art Museum in the provincial capital Hangzhou, assembles work by illustrious Song calligraphers and artists of later dynasties under the influence of Song calligraphic art. It examines how these figures continued to mount new peaks of calligraphy over the centuries as, meanwhile, the prosperity and cultural atmosphere of Hangzhou, once the imperial capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), prompted the development of the art form. The exhibition ends on Friday.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays.138 Nanshan Lu, Hangzhou.0571-8707-8700.

Artistic uplift

Dozens of Russian oil paintings and sculptures are being shown at the opening of a new international creativity park unveiled in Beijing's Shunyi district. The venue has been created in a former food processing factory that has been given an uplift to serve cultural and creativity institutions. Russian art is a popular draw for museum-goers and art lovers. Works on show celebrate the dynamism and rich landscapes of nature, and exude a feeling of peace and tranquility. The exhibition runs until Oct 23.

9 am-5 pm, daily. Gaoliying, Shunsha Lu, Shunyi district, Beijing. 136-8139-2165.

Nostalgic mood

Tie Yang, now aged 88, says he is a farmer and worker, rather than an artist. The painter hails from Zhaoxian county in Hebei province, and was trained as a designer of stage art at the Central Academy of Drama in the 1950s. His paintings of the vibrant colors and serenity of countryside life remind one of the slow pace of the past. His work offers a mental escape to anyone suffering from the anxiety and pressure of the urban hustle and bustle. Ode to the Way Home, an exhibition of Tie's art at the Tsinghua University Art Museum until Dec 10, introduces the audience to the world of animation and warmth he has created with his vigorous brushwork, a way of conveying his love of home and the countryside, and his concern for the people living there.

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays. Tsinghua University, Haidian district. 010-6278-1012