500 seltene chinesische Zeichnungen aus den Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden im Ningbo Museum in China zu sehen

From July 1 to November 1, 2026, the Ningbo Museum in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang presents a selection of so-called “export paintings” from the collections of the Dresden Museum of Ethnology. The richly colored brush drawings are making a temporary return to the city where they were originally created. They are among those rare collections of images now virtually impossible to find in China itself. Titled “Glimpse and Resonance. Scenes of Eastern Life in 19th-Century Ningbo Export Paintings,” the exhibition reveals glimpses into everyday life at that time. The paper paintings vividly document Ningbo’s trade and crafts, working environments, and customs.

The collection features a selection of 50 issues from a collection of 90 booklets assembled by Paul Georg v. Möllendorff (1847–1901), a German resident of Ningbo. In 1958, his daughter, Emma von Seckendorff, donated 20 copies to the Dresden Museum of Ethnology, which purchased the remaining copies in 1960.

The exhibition is part of a collaboration established in 2025 between the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD) and their partners in Ningbo: the Ningbo Research Center for the Study of Maritime Silk Road Culture at Zhejiang Wanli University and the Ningbo Museum. The collaboration aims to digitize and catalogue the albums held by SKD. As part of this initiative, the Dresden Museum of Ethnology provided its Chinese partners and the Ningbo Municipal Archives with digital copies of the albums last year.

Representing the SKD at the exhibition opening in Ningbo are Director General Bernd Ebert, Director of the Ethnological Museums in Leipzig, Dresden, and Herrnhut Lars-Christian Koch, and Director of the Münzkabinett Sylvia Karges (Director ad interim at the Ethnological Museums until 10/2025). 

The next leg of his trip to China takes Bernd Ebert to Beijing, where he will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Palace Museum. 

Bernd Ebert, Director General of the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD):

“The presentation of the Dresden collection in Ningbo offers the SKD an opportunity to give something back to Chinese society: a valuable source of cultural and historical significance that was lost in its place of origin.”

Sylvia Karges, Director of the Münzkabinett (Interim Director of the Ethnological Museums until October 2025): “This exhibition creates connections between institutions, cities, and people in a remarkable way. It serves as a reminder that cultural heritage reveals its deeper meaning through joint research, preservation, and exhibition. We extend our sincere gratitude to our partners in Ningbo. It is thanks to their trust, hospitality, and extraordinary commitment that this project was able to become a reality.”

Lars-Christian Koch, Director of the Ethnological Museums in Leipzig, Dresden, and Herrnhut: “This project demonstrates that intensive collaborative research on objects held in the SKD collections, particularly those of the Dresden Museum of Ethnology, enables us to develop entirely new perspectives on the history and present of our shared cultural connections. We look ahead with confidence and hope to continue our collaboration, as these collections hold great potential.”

Exhibition information

1 July through 1 November 2026

www.nbmuseum.cn