Dear all:

After Mu Xin had passed, the “sunset mansion” located on the east side of his hometown Wuzhen was made the “Mu Xin Family House’’ in May, 2014. Soon afterwards the west side followed suit and built the “Mu Xin Art Museum”, which opened in November, 2015.

The Mu Xin Family House has organised its contents into three separate exhibits of Mu Xin’s life, art, as well as literature, displaying part of Mu Xin’s artworks, notes, and belongings. The five galleries located on the first and second floor of the Mu Xin Art Museum, on the other hand, display a large proportion of Mu Xin’s paintings and literary works. The museum also holds special exhibits, which include content related to the famous artists and writers mentioned in Mu Xin’s Literary Memoir.

With the construction funded by the town of Wu Zhen, the Building itself was designed by OLI, a US architecture firm ran by Hiroshi Okamoto and Lin Bing, two prodigies of I.M. Pei. The indoor design was completed by the French designer, Fabian Servagnat. The construction process lasted four years, during which the three designers paid close supervision, and the construction team of Wu Zhen offered invaluable aid.

The year before he passed, Mu Xin selected the location of the museum under the company of Chen Xianghong, while I was entrusted to be the head curator of the museum. In his final moments, Mu Xin saw the design of the museum and mumbled: “Wind, water, a bridge.” Now the elongated and simplistic structure stands by the river, just as the poet had envisioned.

As the student of Mu Xin, I am driven by my respect for and memories of him to do everything in my power to run this museum. I sincerely welcome your valuable suggestions, so that the museum may refine itself in order to welcome all that admire Mu Xin.

Chen Danqing

　　July, 2015