Lifestyle
Unified Dynasties with Diverse Cultures
New York museum will host exhibition of Chinese cultural relics
By Ding Ying  ·  2017-03-28  ·   Source: | Web Exclusive
Precious relics of Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C.-A.D.220) are shown at a preview at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on March 27 (DING YING)

An exhibition of precious relics of Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C.-A.D.220) will be open to the public from April 3 to July 16 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City, the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere.

The exhibition, Age of Empires, consists of 164 sets of ancient Chinese art, coming from 32 museums and cultural institutes of 13 provinces and autonomous regions of China.

"This landmark is special," said Thomas P. Campbell, Director of the Met at a preview press conference on March 27. "It will establish a new milestone of U.S.-China cultural exchanges."

The works in the exhibition are extremely rare ceramics, metalwork, textiles, sculpture, painting, calligraphy and architectural models, vividly reflecting social life of those two dynasties in China's history. The most famous objects include the renowned terracotta warriors from the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang, founder of the first unified empire in Chinese history, and the burial suit of jade with gold wire that was excavated from the tomb of Dou Wan, the wife of a prince in the West Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.9).

This exhibition will explore the unprecedented role of art in creating a new and lasting Chinese cultural identity. And it will introduce a transformational era of Chinese civilization to a global audience, according to Campbell.

"Many of these spectacular works are never seen before the West!" he said, pointing out it will be "a once-in-a-life opportunity" for visitors to the classical era of Chinese civilization.

"If you want to know the present and the future of China, it is necessary to know the past of China," said Wang Jun, Director of Art Exhibitions China. "Qin and Han are among the most important dynasties in China's history. The architecture and political systems that established during Qin and Han had influenced China more than 2000 years."

According to Wang, this exhibition has been prepared for several years. "This is a feast of China-U.S. cultural exchanges," he said.

"The theme of this exhibition is a unified country with diverse cultures," said Zhixin Jason Sun, Brooke Russell Astor Curator of Chinese Art at the Department of Asian Art of the Met. "There is also a parallel theme of this exhibition that is China's contacts with other parts of the world." He explained that walking from the beginning to the end of the exhibition, visitors will find how China was connected with the rest parts of the world during the two dynasties.

(Reporting from New York)

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