Exhibition celebrates shared memories between Taipei, Shanghai

Shanghai, Dec. 22 (CNA) An art exhibition opened on Sunday in Shanghai, showcasing the memories the city shares with Taipei through 50 paintings, images and short films.

Organized by Shanghai City's service center for Taiwanese people, the exhibition highlights the similarities between the two cities and aims to foster mutual understanding, according to its curator, Liang Chung (梁忠), from Taiwan.

Liang told CNA that while Shanghai and Taipei have different cultural backgrounds, they also have a lot in common, particularly in architecture, street scenes and lifestyles.

For example, both cities share landmarks with the same names, such as Nanjing East Road and Xuhui High School, and residents in both cities place importance on recycling, he explained.

"Shanghai has much of Taipei within it, and vice versa," Liang said, expressing hope that the exhibition would transcend political leanings and help people in both cities understand each other better.

Yang Li-hua (陽禮華), deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office, said at the opening ceremony that a call for submissions was launched in May to collect cultural stories from both cities.

Through historic narratives by experts and scholars as well as street interviews, the public has shared their memories of Shanghai and Taipei, showcasing the daily life and cultural features of both cities in a vivid way, Yang said.