Aspects of China

20th March 2010 - 30th September 2010

Aspects of China is the second exhibition to be held in Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s permanent gallery of Chinese art. 

The previous exhibition focused on historic Chinese ceramics; this one features 70 pieces of modern dress, textiles, ceramics and handcrafted objects made by China’s ethnic minority groups. They were collected by Dr Joan Waller in China during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

For many years, Dr Waller worked as an English teacher in Bradford. She chose to spend her sabbatical leave studying for an MA in Language Studies at Lancaster University. There she met a group of Chinese University teachers, one of whom invited her to teach English language at his university in China. Dr Waller accepted and in 1986 left the UK for China. She spent two years in the industrial city of Wuhu, which lies to the west of Shanghai. She was later posted to Kunming, the historical capital city of Yunnan province. Almost half of China’s 55 ethnic minority groups reside in this south-western province of China, from where much of the material on display originates.

Aspects of China at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

During the 1990s, Dr Waller taught for three years in Hong Kong, before returning to the UK. She has said that in her heart she has never really left China. For her, ‘the beauty of China’s landscape, the fascination of its ancient culture, and the friendliness of the people are still a source of delight’. 

Dr Waller presented her unique collection to Birmingham City Council in 2006. This is the first time that this collection has been seen on public display.