Canton Harbor Scene, attributed to Yeuqua (Chinese active 1850-1885)

The Preservation Society of Newport County – Rosecliff
The Celestial City: Newport and China
Closing Sunday, February 11, 2024

There’s still time to head over to the historic and grand Newport Mansions to view their exhibition, The Celestial City: Newport and China and explore China’s deep influence on Newport from the 18th century through the Gilded Age (1865-1915), when the city emerged as America’s premier summer playground and the fall of China’s last imperial dynasty transformed the ancient nation.

The extraordinary objects on display include more than 100 works from the Preservation Society’s collection and other institutions in a range of media, from paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs to fashion, ceramics, lacquerwares and lanterns.

Highlights include treasures of Chinese art collected by Newport merchants and industrialists; photographs and stories from Newport’s early Chinese community; and the writings, portraits and family heirlooms of Chinese women suffragists. Contemporary artworks by Yu-Wen Wu and Jennifer Ling Datchuk illuminate Chinese contributions to Newport as well as hidden connections between the Newport mansions and the Chinese-American experience.

To prepare for your visit, watch our insightful webinar discussion with the exhibit’s curator, Dr. Nicole Williams and Dr. Bing Huang, Assistant Professor of Art History at Providence College, Rhode Island here.

To learn more about the exhibition, click here.