A major new exhibition at Shanghai Museum East brings together six centuries of portraits and rare manuscripts from some of the most influential writers in English literature.
Running from March 18 to July 13, 2026, the show features 135 rare works — including portraits, photographs, books, handwritten manuscripts, and personal letters — highlighting 82 of Britain's most beloved writers from the 16th century to today.
The lineup reads like a literary hall of fame: William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis Carroll, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith, and many more.
Many pieces are on loan from the UK's National Portrait Gallery, shown alongside intimate handwritten materials that bring you closer to the lives behind the work. It's not just about the books — it's about the people who wrote them.
From Romeo and Juliet to The Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland to Harry Potter, the exhibition traces how these stories — and their authors — shaped literature across centuries.
The current exhibitions are completely free, but due to their high popularity, make sure to reserve with the "上博参观" (shang bo can guan) WeChat mini-program before visiting. Foreigners can also register HERE (English version available)
All ongoing art exhibitions in Shanghai here
