City of Memory: Nanjing in the Seventeenth Century

The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Douglas Dillon Galleries 210–216 · New York · –

Key facts

GUAN makes in-depth guides to time-limited special exhibitions: each selected work has commentary and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese and English, and every key fact cites its source.

Dates
Jun 27, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027
Venue
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Upper East Side · New York · The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028
Opening hours
10:00–17:00
Closed
Closed Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day (November 26), December 25 and January 1.
Admission
Adults $30; Seniors $22; Students $17; Visitors with a disability $22; Children 12 and under free
GUAN guide
4 selected works with text and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and English; free
Highlights
Looks at how artists lived and worked in Nanjing in the decades before and after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, and at the city's role as a site of historical and cultural memory.

Looks at how artists lived and worked in Nanjing in the decades before and after the fall of the Ming dynasty in 1644, and at the city's role as a site of historical and cultural memory. Drawn mostly from The Met collection, it follows Nanjing painting from the 1640s to the 1680s, with landscape albums by Zhang Feng, Hu Yukun and Gao Cen and an album of calligraphy by the Nanjing scholar-critic Zhou Lianggong.

In-depth audio guide

Plan your visit

Opening hours
10:00–17:00 Fridays and Saturdays until 21:00.
Closed
Closed Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day (November 26), December 25 and January 1.
Closed during the exhibition
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Admission
  • Adults $30
  • Seniors $22
  • Students $17
  • Visitors with a disability $22
  • Children 12 and under $0
Reservation
Tickets include exhibitions and same-day entry to The Met Cloisters. Pay what you wish (you must pay something) for New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: online purchase needs a New York State billing address, and New Jersey and Connecticut students buy in person with a valid student ID.
Address
The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028

Information verified · Check the official site for same-day updates

Works (4)

  1. 1982-1-7. Orchid and rock Attributed to Ma Shouzhen · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · Dated 1572 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Follow one long orchid leaf, then compare its arc with the short marks that give the rock its weight.
  2. 1989-363-132. Wintry mountains Gong Xian · Hanging scroll; ink on paper · About 1679–89 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Find a roof among the bare trees, then follow the pale intervals upward through the mountains.
  3. 2016-743. Reminiscence of Jinling Wang Gai · Handscroll; ink and color on silk · 1686 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Begin at the right of the visible section and follow the waterways between the buildings and hills.
  4. CP76. Page from the Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting and Calligraphy Illustrated by Hu Zhengyan and others · Individual leaf from a printed book; ink and color on paper · First edition printed in 1633 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Compare the fruit-filled vessel with the perforated rock: one gathers rounded forms, while the other opens into holes.

Questions

Is there an audio guide for City of Memory: Nanjing in the Seventeenth Century?

Yes. GUAN selected 4 works from the exhibition, each with text and audio in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, and English. All of it is free.

How much is admission to City of Memory: Nanjing in the Seventeenth Century?

Adults $30; Seniors $22; Students $17; Visitors with a disability $22; Children 12 and under free.

When is City of Memory: Nanjing in the Seventeenth Century on?

Jun 27, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027.

What are the opening hours of City of Memory: Nanjing in the Seventeenth Century?

Open 10:00–17:00. Fridays and Saturdays until 21:00. Closed: Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day (November 26), December 25 and January 1.

Official website

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