'Love as Enduring as Bronze and Stone' at Shanghai Library

Credit: Ti Gong

Have you ever wanted to experience a traditional Chinese wedding? This Chinese New Year, Shanghai Library presents a special Spring Festival special "Love as Enduring as Bronze and Stone," a cultural celebration that weaves together scholarship, craftsmanship and timeless romance.

Anchored in rare epigraphic texts, the exhibition highlights the enduring emotional bond between history, memory and human devotion.

For the first time, two precious Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) editions of "Jin Shi Lu" (金石录), one of China's earliest catalogues of inscriptions on bronze and stone, are exhibited side by side. Their reunion offers visitors a rare glimpse into the scholarly passion and emotional depth behind China's tradition of epigraphy and textual preservation.

Extending beyond the gallery, a series of festive public programs and weekend intangible cultural heritage markets accompany the exhibition. Each weekend, the corridor outside the library's reading theater comes alive with hands-on craft workshops, inviting visitors to experience traditional skills up close and celebrate the Chinese New Year through creativity.

Credit: Ti Gong

The program "A Marriage of Bronze and Stone: Traditional Chinese Wedding Rituals" is open for registration and currently seeking couples to participate, including newlyweds and those celebrating milestone anniversaries.

Participants will be invited to experience various wedding ceremonies, complete with historical costumes, professional styling and guided ritual procedures.