More than 200 Bronze Age artifacts selected from five museums in Hubei Province in central China, including bronzeware, jadeware, lacquerware and silk fabrics unearthed in the province are on display at the National Museum of China in Beijing. The exhibition, titled Phoenix Kingdoms—The Last Splendor of China's Bronze Age, presents items produced by the people of the Zeng and Chu states that thrived in the early Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.). They were known as Phoenix Kingdoms because the phoenix, a revered mythical bird, featured prominently in their culture.

Of the many treasures on display, the most popular one is a bronze drum base discovered in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. The complex design of this masterpiece outshines the predominant aesthetic standard of its time. The pedestal consists of eight pairs of large dragons and dozens of tangled small dragons.

(Text and photos by Wei Yao)