It usually takes very long time (even a few years) to prepare an exhibition, so every one of them is hard to come by. Of course, whenever you have a glance at precious artworks and cultural relics, you will be surprised and can’t help but awe at the wisdom of the ancients. Although these great exhibitions have already closed, as long as you check on your phone, you can still take a tour among the exhibits!
Romanian Treasures
Following Romania’s history, the exhibition displays a total of 445 pieces (sets) of exhibits, outlining Romania’s historical evolution and civilization process with fine cultural relics: from the wonderful Neolithic coloured pottery civilization to the highly developed bronze and gold smelting in the Bronze and Iron Age; from the gold and silver civilization of the Romanian ancestor Getta-Dacian, to the “Romanization” civilization under the rule of the Roman Empire; from the medieval religious civilization to the early modern period that absorbed the Eastern and Western civilizations and created Romanian native civilization.
Romanian coloured pottery culture represented by Kukutni culture and Gumenica culture is well-known in Europe. Among them, the Romanian coloured pottery of the Stone Age always attracts Chinese audiences. Its shape and decorative pattern have many similarities with the Yangshao, Dawenkou, and Majiayao cultures of the Neolithic Age in China. In the absence of evidence of direct communication between the two cultures, the understanding of the artistic style similarities of the two material civilizations will provide a new research topic for academia.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
The Silk Road and Russian National Cultural Relics
The exhibits are provided by the Russian Ethnographic Museum, which is a professional museum for the study and preservation of multi-ethnic material cultural heritage in Russia. Most of the cultural relics exhibited here are from the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, representing the characteristic culture of the peoples of southern Russia living between the Black Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
The European part and the southern part of Asia of Russia and were closely related to the Silk Road in ancient and medieval times. Especially when the Middle East is politically unstable and the trade links between East and West are facing crisis, its important role has been highlighted several times. The several branches of the Silk Road are the most important factors that ensure the maintenance of business exchanges between Europe and Asia. One of the purposes of this exhibition is to demonstrate the characteristics of the northern route of the Silk Road as an international trade route and emphasize its importance to the social and cultural development of the regions along the route.
The exhibition selects several representative cultural regions on the north of the main Silk Road: Southern Siberia, Southern Western Siberia, and Southern Urals, which have established close political and economic ties with the Silk Road; the middle and lower reaches of the Volga River. This is the area where the Silk Road and the Great Volga Route intersect and connects with the coast of the Baltic Sea; the Caucasus is part of the ancient main commercial road.
In modern times, as the international trade route centre gradually shifts towards the sea, the Silk Road gradually withdrew from the stage of history. However, the cultural and economic ties established between the above-mentioned regions are still developing, affecting the development process of national culture to varying degrees. To this day, multi-ethnic and multi-religious cultures are still important factors in the development of the above-mentioned regional social culture. The integration process of these regions is based on mutually beneficial internal and external connections in various historical periods.
From the 16th to the 18th century, the above-mentioned regions were included in the Russian territory, thus their cultural features were strongly influenced by Russian culture. Some ethnic groups of the Russian nation have become disseminators of culture, spreading culture in the above-mentioned areas, among which the Cossacks and various branches of the old etiquette have become prominent representatives of ethnic groups. Although residents of the southern border regions of Russia have different traditions, religious beliefs and languages, they have lived in the same vast historical and cultural space for a long time.
The handmade products that symbolize the material and spiritual heritage of mankind in the exhibition is not only influenced by local conditions, but also benefited from the regional cultural connections under the influence of the Silk Road. The national culture and historical monuments of Russia, North Caucasus and Dagestan, Volga and Ural regions, South Siberia and the Far East show the multi-ethnic style of Russia. They are part of the entire Russian nation but with unique characteristics.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Resplendent Objects from the Tang Dynasty
In the vast expanse of Chinese history, the Tang Dynasty is an extremely bright star. With strong cohesion, she inherited the fine traditions of Chinese Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasty cultures, combining the fresh nutrients of foreign cultures with its strong attraction, and achieved a wide-reaching and continuous Tang culture with amazing creativity. It had always been blessed with the unique world spirit and grandeur of that era, demonstrating permanent cultural interest and spiritual charm.
The exhibition is divided into six cultural relics units: “Restoring Order with Civil and Martial Arts”, “Treasures of the Royal Family”, “Beautiful People in Chang’an”, “Riding and Hunting”, “Foreigners in Tang Dynasty” and “Truth in Theories”. The wall paintings and epitaphs with words of demonstrates the fashion and customs of the Tang Dynasty, the extremely skilful Hejiacun cellars and the gold and silver utensils unearthed in the underground palace of Famen Temple, the civil and military officials and the drawings of graceful ladies of the Tang Dynasty, the three-coloured pottery figurines of Hu and Han customs and the multiple coexisting religious relics undoubtedly condense the precious memories of that era. Now, without going to Shaanxi, everyone can enjoy these Tang style relics at home with their cellphones.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Glorious Chapter of Ancient Shu - The Essence of Ancient Sichuan Cultural Relics
Ancient Shu civilization is one of the origins of ancient Chinese civilization named after ethnicity. In the 1980s, the discovery of two buried pits in Sanxingdui revealed the mystery of the ancient Shu civilization. Among them were unearthed figures, heads, altars, sacred trees and other bizarre bronze wares, as well as masks and animal-shaped ornaments. Such exquisite gold leaf products shocked the world. After the discovery of the Jinsha site at the beginning of this century, important cultural relics such as the golden leaf of the sun god bird, the golden mask, the golden crown belt, the bronze standing man, the stone tiger and the stone man have been discovered one after another, as well as the exposure of a large number of ceremonial jade and bronze burial pits. Another piece of brilliant history of the Shu civilization is unfolding before the world.
It is the first exhibition comprehensively displays the ancient Shu civilization from the Sanxingdui site to the Jinsha site to the many Shu tombs found during the Warring States period. It not only carefully sorts out the various stages of the vertical development of the ancient Shu civilization, but also highlights the presence of this strange bronze civilization. The unique contribution in the formation of Chinese civilization and the historical process of fully integrating into the territory of Chinese civilization with the construction of a series of development projects such as the Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project after the “Qin merged with Bashu” in 316 BC. Audiences can be deeply touched by the long history of cultural heritage of the ancient Shu civilization in the exhibition, and observe the development process of the pluralistic integration of Chinese civilization from a particular perspective.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Qin and Han Civilization Exhibition
The Qin and Han Dynasties make up an important stage in Chinese history. In 221 BC, the Qin Emperor Yingzheng unified the six countries and established the Qin Dynasty. Throughout Qin Dynasty, civil official system was established, prefecture and county system was implemented, measures such as unified writing, weights and measures were adopted, and China thus became a unified multi-ethnic country. While inheriting and perfecting the various systems established by the Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty also achieved developments and innovations in politics, economy, culture, ideology, and foreign exchanges with brilliant success. The political, economic and ideological system established by the Qin and Han dynasties after more than four centuries of management and precipitation not only served as a reference for later dynasties, but also laid a solid foundation for the sustainable development of Chinese civilization.
The “Qin and Han Civilization” exhibition selects 170 pieces of more than 300 exhibits from various cultural relics collection institutions across China, including well-known fine cultural relics such as the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty, the Golden Jade Clothes, the Changxin Palace Lantern, and the Jade “Queen’s Seal”, as well as the latest archaeological findings unearthed from the Tomb of Haihunhou and the Tomb of King Jiangdu in Dayun Mountain. Through these precious cultural relics, the exhibition provides a panoramic and in-depth interpretation of the Qin and Han civilizations to interpret its profound connotations and far-reaching influence.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Arabian Road - Cultural Relics in Saudi Arabia
The 466 pieces (sets) of archaeological and cultural relics displayed in this exhibition are all treasures collected in various museums in Saudi Arabia. The time span of these cultural relics started from the Stone Age one million years ago, through the prehistoric period, pre-Islamic period, Islamic period, and the birth of the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia, fully reflecting the historical process of the occurrence and development of Saudi Arabia’s archaeological culture. A large number of cultural relics in this exhibition were unearthed along the Spice Road and Pilgrimage Road of the past dynasties. They are important material evidence of the exchange and interaction between the local Arabian culture and the eastern and western cultures inside and outside the peninsula.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Grand Central Plains - Henan History and Culture Exhibition
The “Grand Central Plains - Henan History and Culture Exhibition” selected more than one hundred exquisite pieces from museums across Henan Province, including bronze, jade, porcelain, stone sculptures, etc., of various types and rich connotations. Many of them are cultural relics unearthed in major archaeological treasures, fully demonstrating the glorious achievements of ancient civilization in Henan.
The exhibition doesn’t follow the traditional method of exhibition which shows the ancient civilization of Henan in the order of their discovery times, but through the in-depth interpretation of the historical and cultural connotation of cultural relics, it combines more than a hundred cultural relics from the four aspects of the earliest homeland, surname source, craftsmanship, and spiritual world, showing the history and culture of Henan.
In addition, this exhibition focuses on important archaeological excavations in Henan Province over the years. It is not only an exhibition of the two major archaeological results of the Neolithic Yangshao Cultural Site on the West Slope of Lingbao and the Xia-Shang City Site of Wangjinglou in Xinzheng, but is also a large-scale display of other important archaeological achievements in Henan Province. Among them, the national treasures and first-class cultural relics, including the lotus and crane bronze square pots, accounts for nearly half of the exhibits in this exhibition, which deserves the name Henan Province Great Utensil Exhibition.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
Roman and Baroque Art
This exhibition brings together 50 pieces (sets) of 17th century Italian paintings, sculptures and crafts. All exhibits are selected from more than 10 famous Italian museums, galleries and collection institutions, including the National Museum of Palazzo Venezia in Rome, the National Museum of Ancient Art in the Palazzo Corsini, the National Museum of Ancient Art in the Barberini Palace, the Baroque Museum of the Chigi Palace, and the Spartan Art Gallery, covering more than 20 art masters and famous artists active on the Roman art stage in the 17th century, including Carracci, Caravaggio, Benigni, Cortona, Algardi, Poussin, Andrea Sacchi, Francisco Coza, Giovan Batissuch as Ta Gori and Giacinto Brandi, covering a variety of artistic styles with Baroque as the main body.
The exhibition takes the development of Roman art history in the 17th century as its main line, and is divided into three parts: towards the Baroque and its naturalistic expression, Baroque sculpture and Baroque painting. It focuses on introducing and displaying Roman Baroque art, while taking into account the other parts of the same period. The artistic style presents a panoramic picture of Roman art in the 17th century to the public.
To watch: follow the official WeChat account of the National Museum, open the virtual exhibition hall page, search for the exhibition name to an online tour.
