The Long Museum (Pudong) presents the exhibition When oranges are orange and tangerines are green, featuring a section of modern and contemporary paintings from a private collection. Highlights include Chrysanthemums in a green vase (Pan Yuliang, late 1950s), ‘Two pavilions on the riverbank* (Zhou Bichu, 1960s), Farmer drinking water (Luo Zhongli, 1993), Autumn scenery (Wang Jieyin, 2002), among others. Spanning from the mid-20th century to the present, the exhibition showcases oil paintings, watercolors and ink works that capture the artists’ cherished visions of autumn—through the themes of seasonal blooms, cultural landmarks, waterfront nature, and harvest-time labor.

The title of the exhibition refers to the late-autumn, early-winter period in the lunar calendar, when oranges are yellow and tangerines are still green. It comes from the poem Gift to Liu Jingwen by Su Shi of the Song Dynasty: ‘Of all the beautiful moments in a year, you must remember this one—when oranges turn orange and tangerines are still green.’ In the poem, the poet encourages his friend to be optimistic and persevering.

As we follow the poet’s reference, we notice the transition of these two colors shows the rhythm of life and the change of seasons. Orange appears in the harvest in Weed beach during the busy farming season (Chen Shuchong, 2000), while the green emerges in the verdure in Sense of autumn (Li Yongsen, 1970). In this season of the harvest, this exhibition celebrates the golden autumn of our motherland and the rewards of labor, offering a reminder to cherish time, stay optimistic and persevering.