Forthcoming, November/December 2026
$59.99
142 ppp, flexibound
255 x 190mm
ISBN: 978-1-98-850353-0
Chinese Art and Cultural Diplomacy is a story about the power of beautiful objects to establish and sustain personal, institutional and global relationships.
New Zealander Rewi Alley lived in China from 1927 until his death in 1987, experiencing wars, revolutions and major social upheavals. Alley cultivated a network of major political and cultural figures in China and New Zealand, and worked with prominent public institutions in both countries.
The first part of the book describes Alley’s life and work through his collection of Chinese art donated to Canterbury Museum, and how he used it to further Chinese causes. The second part highlights twenty-five treasures from Canterbury Museum’s Rewi Alley Collection, including ancient jades and bronzes, calligraphy by the grandson of an emperor, and paintings by twentieth-century masters.
Published in association with Canterbury Museum.
“Drawing extensively from previously untapped archives, this book brings to life Alley’s investment in China and the importance of Chinese art and artifacts to his diplomatic and humanitarian work. Through engaging writing and beautiful illustrations, the authors shed new light on this unique, New Zealand chapter in the history of Chinese-Western relations.” Professor Stephen Whiteman, Professor of the Art and Architecture of China, Courtauld Institute, London
“A masterpiece describing an unusual history of collecting – one centred on the adventurous dealings of one of the great ‘Friends of China’ … beautifully illustrates the fruit of Alley’s labour and the lasting effect his cross-cultural mission still has today – a century after it began in earnest in 1927.” Professor Florian Knothe, Director, University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong
James Beattie is a professor of history at Sun Yat-sen University, PRC. He is a global research fellow, Hong Kong University; honorary professor, Centre for Sustainability Research, and History progamme, University of Otago; and honorary curator, Lan Yuan Chinese Garden, Dunedin.
Richard Bullen is an associate professor of art history and theory at the University of Canterbury and a research fellow at Canterbury Museum. He studied calligraphy and the Japanese way of tea during several years living in Japan and China.
Xiongbo Shi is an associate professor in the School of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Lanzhou University. He holds a PhD in art theory from the University of Canterbury and specialises in Chinese art and aesthetics.
