Xinjiang exhibition traces civilization's arc

Its final section highlights the technical mastery of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, contrasting the strict hierarchies, precious materials and intricate craftsmanship of court ornaments with fun folk pieces made for everyday life.

"Through ornaments, from a perspective somewhere between the big picture and the close-up, we hope visitors will grasp the inner logic of civilization's development and the cultural meaning of these objects," Tong says.

According to He Xiao, research librarian at the Xinjiang Museum, the curatorial team spent half a year preparing for the show. One major challenge was the gallery design, as the exhibition hall is large, but the displayed objects are quite small.

To solve this, they worked with a team from the arts and crafts department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, decorating the vitrines with traditional Chinese window frames and designing exhibit stands in a range of shapes — fans, circles, hexagons, octagons, water droplets, stone chimes and scrolls — to reflect traditional Chinese elegance and the ethos of artisanship, she says.

Tong says most of the exhibits are excavated artifacts, some from major sites like the 3,000-year-old tomb of Fu Hao in Anyang, Henan. For many of the exhibits, this is their first time on display outside of the National Museum of China.

Notably, some pieces are linked to archaeologist Huang Wenbi (1893-1966), who made four trips to Xinjiang for investigation and excavation between the 1920s and 1950s.

Tong says it's significant that the exhibition is being held in Xinjiang, a key node on the ancient Silk Road where Eastern and Western cultures met. The introduction of foreign materials, patterns and techniques, and their adaptation and evolution by Chinese craftsmen, demonstrates how Chinese civilization grew by absorbing and transforming outside influences.

In 2023, the National Museum of China Gallery was set up at the Xinjiang Museum as a dedicated venue to host touring exhibitions. Over the past three years, it has featured shows on ancient bronzes, bronze mirrors, musical instruments and traditional Chinese medicine. The current exhibition runs through Nov 5.

Contact the writers at fangaiqing@chinadaily.com.cn