On October 12th, Dr. Angela Sheng, the Director Chair of the Confucius Institute at McMaster University, gave a curatorial talk entitled "Paradoxes of the 18th Century in China" in support of the exhibit entitled "A Glimpse of China in the 18th Century" at McMaster Museum of Art. More than 40 faculty members and students came to listen to this take, which took about 50 minutes.

Dr. Sheng overviewed the cultural policies and innovations in 18th century China, especially during the reign of the three emperors--Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. She highlighted literature, painting, calligraphy and architecture in 18th century China. Emperor Kangxi adopted some key features of the gardens in southern China to design and build the Summer Palace (Yuanming Yuan) in Beijing and the Mountain Resort to Escape Heat at Jehol. Emperor Kangxi promoted the coexistence of different cultures of Han, Manchu, Mongolia and Tibet, and the concurrent influences of the three religions--Confucian, Daoism and Buddhism in China. Dr. Sheng hoped that the exhibits in the museum could help westerners better appreciate the culture of 18th century China.

Dr. Angela Sheng is an Associate Professor of art history in McMaster's School of the Arts and Director Chair of the Confucius Institute at McMaster University. Her research areas include interculturality along the Silk Road and transdiscplinary comparison of the art and visual culture of selected minorities in China. She is the author of numerous publications dealing with the transfer of technological and artistic ideas between China and Central Asia.