Chinese Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind September 2, 2011

China's rich tradition of puzzles and fascination with puzzling objects is thoroughly embedded in its arts and culture, and has been a popular cultural export to America since the 19th century. The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) presents 'Chinese Puzzles: Games for the Hands and Mind,' curated by Wei Zhang and Peter Rasmussen. More than 100 objects and images from the curators' private Yi Zhi Tang (art and intelligence) Collection will be on view at MOCA. Consisting of over 1300 antique Chinese puzzles, books, and graphic materials, the collection dates from the Song dynasty to the mid-20th century. Many of the puzzles are also objets d'art in the classical tradition and exhibit the highest level of workmanship, including beautifully crafted porcelains, carved ivory, and mother-of-pearl.