The Shanghai Museum is displaying 85 of the 233 ancient paintings and calligraphic works donated by the family of the late Chinese-Philippine business magnate Ching Banlee. The exhibition runs until October 15.

The art works, ranging from the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) to modern times, are believed to make up the largest collection of its kind to be donated to a Chinese state museum by an overseas Chinese in the last 50 years.

Shan Guolin, director of the department of painting and calligraphy studies at the museum, described the pieces as "priceless top-notch art works."

The beauty of Ching's collection is that it includes masterpieces in almost all types of Chinese painting, namely, human figures, landscapes, and flowers and birds, he said.

Among the artists in Ching's collection are Lin Liang, Dong Qichang, Chen Hongshou, Zhang Ruitu, Huang Daozhou, Wang Duo and Zheng Xie.

According to the People's Daily, Ching was a successful Chinese businessman in the Philippines. A lover of Chinese painting and calligraphy, Ching began collecting art masterpieces in the 1930s.

Because much of China's great works are abroad - especially in Japan - due to war, he worked to buy ancient Chinese art works and return them to China.

"No matter how expensive they are, we should try to get them back. They do not belong to my house, but are part of the Chinese culture," Ching was quoted as saying. "I hope they will regain their glory and be enjoyed by the public."

His sudden death in 1965 during a trip to Los Angles prevented him from realizing his long-cherished aspirations to return the art he had collected to China, family members said.

After visiting the facilities of the newly built Shanghai Museum in October 1996, Ching's children decided to donate his collection to the museum.

( China Daily July 5, 2002 )