Linfen, Shanxi, is located in the valley of the Fenhe River in the southwest of Shanxi Province, connecting the Taihang Mountains with the cities of Changzhi and Jincheng in the east, adjacent to the Lüliang region along the Lüliang Mountains in the northwest, facing the Yellow River and Shaanxi in the west, separated by the Jinzhong region in the north by Hanxinling, and bordered by the Yuncheng area in the south. Since the Fenhe River runs through the whole territory from north to south, the Linfen Basin is formed along the river. The part of Lüliang Mountain that extends to Linfen is called Gushe Mountain, and the mountain peak standing west of Linfen is called Pingshui, also known as Jinshui.
The ancient Linfen City is located in the area of the current Jindian Town, because the city pool is built in the Yang of Pingshui and named Pingyang, there is a "Yaodu Pingyang" saying, and because the city is like Woniu, also known as Woniu City. In ancient times, it was successively set up as Pingyang County, Pingyang County, and Pinghe County. In the third year of the Sui Dynasty (583 AD), it was renamed Linfen County, and now it is Linfen City.
Linfen is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, and in the "Century of Emperors", it is said: "Yaodu Pingyang", that is, now Linfen. "Yugong" is divided into nine prefectures, and Pingyang is the land of Jizhou. Jizhou is located in the center of Kyushu, so it is called "China", and the word "China" comes from this.
Linfen City Museum was founded in 1993, the original site is in the Drum Tower Xihaizibian No. 40 Iron Buddha Temple, the new museum is located in Linfen City Binhe West Road, Kyushu Square south end, officially opened in December 2018. The total area of the new museum is 32,429 square meters, the building height is 23.65 meters, the exhibition hall area is about 2,000 square meters, and the collection of cultural relics is 140,000 pieces. Linfen Museum is a comprehensive museum integrating cultural relics collection, protection and research, display and publicity, education services and other functions.
01
Overview of the venue
The site of the new Linfen City Museum is located in the circular land around the Huamen Gate, a landmark building in Yaodu Scenic Area. The architectural design of the museum organically combines architecture with paintings, sculptures, gardens and sketches, and combines the Huamen Han Dynasty techniques, the design shape is the sun and the moon embracing, the design concept comes from the ancient observatory of the Tao Temple, which symbolizes the "sun and moon with the same glow", and the whole building skillfully integrates traditional culture and Fenhe Ecological Park.
Linfen City Museum collects 140,000 precious cultural relics from the Paleolithic period of Dingcun to the Republic of China period from 100,000 years ago, of which 94 sets of national first-class cultural relics, 488 sets of second-class cultural relics, 2,037 sets of third-class cultural relics, especially bronze, pottery, porcelain, iron, brick carving, water and land paintings, flat water plates and so on are the most distinctive. At present, there are more than 3,000 fine cultural relics on display in the museum.
The main building of the museum is three floors above ground for the exhibition area, the basement floor is the library area, the existing exhibition hall area of about 2000 square meters, divided into seven exhibition rooms, the collection includes bronze, ceramics, water and land paintings, woodblock New Year paintings as features. The theme of the exhibition is "Mountains and Rivers in the Table", and with the historical context as the main line and the thematic culture as the feature, the permanent exhibition hall is divided into four sections: "Ancient Footprints", "Earliest China", "Jinba Spring and Autumn" and "Qianqiu Pingyang".
02
Basic display
--- Ancient Footprints ---
The ancient footprint exhibition hall covers an area of 660 square meters, and a total of 212 cultural relics are exhibited, which are divided into three parts: "Residents of Fenhe River", "Passing on the Torch" and "Cradle of Civilization". The exhibition hall shows the physical materials and archaeological research of the Neolithic culture represented by the Dingcun culture, persimmon beach culture and the Neolithic culture that continues to zaoyuan culture in the past 60 years, combined with the natural geographical features and geological history, showing a long history of early Homo sapiens from ancient times who flourished in the land of Linfen until they entered the agricultural revolution.
The exhibition hall is full of prehistoric atmosphere, and the seemingly simple but useful stone tools and fossils that have long been turned into stones in the exhibits are traces left by humans hundreds of thousands of years ago. In this exhibition hall, you can also see the restored appearance of the Ding villagers from 100,000 years ago, and you can also hear the sounds of the earliest musical instruments.
Discovered in 1953, the Dingcun ruins are the first large-scale Paleolithic sites found outside of Zhoukoudian in Beijing after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it has attracted much attention for the discovery of "Dingcun people" between Peking apes and modern humans. On March 4, 1961, the ruins of Dingcun were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. On October 18, 2021, the site of Xiangfending Village in Shanxi Was selected as one of the "Top 100 Archaeological Discoveries in a Hundred Years" in China.
--- Earliest China ---
The earliest Chinese exhibition hall covers an area of 820 square meters, with a total of 137 cultural relics, divided into three parts: "The Sum of Heaven and Earth", "The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Capital", and "Yaoli China", showing the Tao Temple culture that emerged in Jinnan about 4500 years ago, quite the Yao and Shun eras in ancient history, that is, the earliest "China" that appeared in the pre-Qin historical books.
The exhibition hall details the 40 years of archaeological excavations carried out by archaeologists at the site of Tao Temple in Xiangfen County, and uses a complete data link to highlight the historical facts of the "earliest China" of Yaodu Pingyang with the tao temple site.
Roughly 4500 years ago, the most advanced historical stage was transferred to Jinnan." Under the intersection and impact of the cultures of the Central Plains, the North and the Hetao region and the ancient civilizations of the East and Southeast, the Tao Temple culture arose in the south of Jin.
The ruins of Tao Temple, known as the earliest "China", retain the essence of Tao Temple Yao du and Yao culture, archaeologists have also found the world's earliest observatory, the world's earliest Gui table, the earliest Chinese characters and so on. The exhibition of the Tao Temple site is also one of the biggest features of the Linfen Museum.
--- Jinba Spring and Autumn ---
Jinba Spring and Autumn Exhibition Hall covers an area of 2,080 square meters, with a total of 673 cultural relics on display, divided into five parts: "Scattered Stars", "Stars and Moons", "Stars Holding the Moon", "Three Stars in Jin", and "Brilliant Stars", showing the historical story and glorious history of the five Jin countries in the Spring and Autumn Period.
With xia shang fangguo as the background and Jin and the three jin as the clues of the exhibition, the exhibition hall tells the history of the Jin state for more than 600 years, and displays a large number of exquisite Jin-style bronzes, showing the glorious hegemony of the Jin state for more than 160 years.
When you talk about Shanxi, you will mention the Jin Dynasty. The Jin state ranked at the top of the Spring and Autumn Five for 600 years, and the core of the Jin state was in Linfen. In addition to the famous Quwo Tianma- Qucun Jinguo Noble Cemetery, in the archaeological process of Shanxi in recent years, a large number of high-grade tombs from the Spring and Autumn Period have been found around the Linfen area, such as the Baguo Cemetery at the mouth of the Great River in Yicheng and the Wayaopo Cemetery in Yixian County, which are inextricably linked to the Jin Dynasty.
These unique tomb owners were an important part of the jin nobles and chinese people who radiated around the surrounding area to form a significant influence. The bronzes unearthed from these tombs are valuable artistic treasures and testimonies of history.
The bronze vessels displayed in the exhibition hall, such as bronze bronzes and animal face lotus petal pots, whether from modeling, production technology, or to ornamentation and use, convey the message of thousands of years, let people appreciate the style of history, and also feel the spirit of Jinguo's efforts.
--- Qianqiu Pingyang ---
The exhibition hall of Qianqiu Pingyang covers an area of 1610 square meters, with a total of 873 cultural relics on display, which is the exhibition hall with the richest content and the most regional cultural characteristics in the whole museum. The exhibition hall is divided into five parts: "Qianqiu Pingyang", "Qingshi Tiejian", "Ink Debut", "Pingshui Flowing Rhyme" and "Panruo Light", which tell the different cultural characteristics and artistic charms of Linfen in the past.
Linfen, known as Pingyang in ancient times, was named after the city built on the north bank of Pingshui. The fourth exhibition hall of Linfen Museum is named "Qianqiu Pingyang", and the exhibition shows the characteristic ancient culture of Pingyang area after the historical precipitation, from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as many excellent operas, engravings, Pingyang woodblock prints, Buddhism and other cultures in Linfen.
In the fourth year (119 BC) of Emperor Wu's yuan hunting, the salt and iron monopoly was implemented, and 49 iron officials were set up throughout the country, and There were Anyi, Pishi, Pingyang, and Dai in Hedong County, and Linfen ju 2. The Yenan site in Yicheng County and a series of relics unearthed are clear evidence of the production of iron in the Linfen area of the Han Dynasty. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the iron smelting industry in the Linfen area reached its peak, and ancient books record that "iron and carbon are the most abundant, and the benefits are very wide", and the production of agricultural tools is "cast from the people, and the profits are exhausted by the officials", which shows the prosperity of the time. The iron cast Buddha head of Linfen Dayun Temple, the iron bell of the Jin Dynasty and the iron cannon of the Ming Dynasty are all important witnesses to the continued development of the ancient Linfen iron smelting industry.
With a history of about 1,000 years, Binh Duong is the place with the highest concentration of early opera relics. The brick carved opera music and dance figurines unearthed from the tombs of the Jin Dynasty have made the opera historians a treasure; the Mural of the Yuan Dynasty Opera Performance of the Hongdong Water Temple is a vivid scene reproduction of the ancient opera stage left on the land of Linfen, dotted with dots, telling the story of the process of opera being loved and sought after in rural villages.
Pingyang has always been a country of cultural victory, and the Jin and Yuan dynasties were the golden age of pingyang engraving and printing. The Pingyang inscription of the JinYuan period is called "Pingshui Ben", and the far-reaching "Pingshui Rhyme" twin peaks created by Liu Yuan, a Pingyang man of the Jin Dynasty, stand together, implicitly forming the Pingshui culture, which to a certain extent represents the cultural development level of the two periods of the Jinyuan and Yuan dynasties. Pingyang carved books are rich in content, complete in variety and of high quality, and are the representatives of the northern engraving book industry and occupy an important position in the history of Chinese publishing.
Buddhism has been transmitted to the Central Plains since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Pingyang is one of the earliest places to spread. According to the inscription, more than ten monasteries, such as Xiangfen Pujing Temple and Hongdong Guangsheng Temple, were founded in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Eastern Jin Dynasty monk Pingyang Faxian is found in the record of the first person to take the Western Heavenly Scriptures, which lasted for fourteen years, through more than ten countries, painstaking preparations, and achieved a great cause that had never been done before.
03
Temporary exhibitions
--- Jinci Temple ---
The exhibition is divided into three units: "Ancient Architectural Treasures", "Garden Masterpieces" and "Humanistic Yuanxue", exhibiting some representative architectural models in modern times, and selecting nearly 200 exhibits of different types of cultural relics such as UnionPay plaques, inscription pedals, collections of calligraphy and paintings, and pedal ancient books.
Jinci Temple, located in Jinci Town, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, was originally named Jinwang Ancestral Hall, originally named Tang Shuyu Ancestral Hall, and was built to commemorate the founding prince of the Jin Dynasty, Tang Shuyu (later posthumously crowned as the King of Jin) and his mother Empress Yijiang.
Among them, Nan Lao Quan, the Statue of the Maid, and Zhou Bai are known as the "Three Absolutes of jinci". The Jinci Temple is the earliest surviving royal sacrificial garden in China, and the Jinguo Ancestral Hall is also an intensive carrier of ancient Chinese architectural art.
The JinCi Temple is a unique case of the complete architectural type and era sequence of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties to the Republic of China, and the attached painted mural stele are all national treasures; it is a comprehensive carrier of the historical context of the Three Jins, and the Jin cultural system traces back to the inheritance of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Tang Jianjin, jin, and Sheng Tang Zhaochuang cultural lineage; it is the birthplace of the Wang and Zhang clans in the world.
04
Treasures from the museum's collection
--- Painted Dragon Disc ---
The painted dragon plate excavated from the Tao Temple site was excavated from the early king-level tomb of the Tao Temple site, and a total of 4 pieces were excavated, which is 1 of them. The dragon is the totem that Chinese civilization has believed in for thousands of years, and we are all descendants of the dragon. The whole dragon can be seen on the dragon disk in the shape of a coil, and the dragon image of the Chinese nation for thousands of years is dominated by the panlong. It is very similar to the dragon pattern on the Bronze Ware of xia and Shang Zhou, and is a Chinese dragon in the true sense, and some scholars call it "the first dragon in China".
--- Copper Grate ---
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, bronze cultural relics were excavated from the Qucun Cemetery of the Archaeological Institute of Shanxi Province, with a caliber of 19.6 cm, a distance between ears of 26.3 cm, and a height of 15.3 cm. The whole instrument is dignified and simple, with unique shape and high artistic value.
--- Copper ---
During the Spring and Autumn Period, bronze cultural relics were excavated from the Wa YaoPo Cemetery in Sui County, with a height of 38.50 cm, a caliber of 75.50 cm, a bottom diameter of 35.00 cm, a mass of 38.480 kg, a luxury mouth, a folding edge, a four-shop first ring, a dragon head row overflow on the side of the neck, a flat bottom, a neck decorated with cockroach patterns and geometric patterns, and a shoulder and abdomen decorated with cockroach patterns. This instrument is dignified, simple and has high artistic value.
--- Tao Xu ---
Neolithic Pottery Temple Culture, Pottery, Shanxi Team of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences excavated in 1984 at the site of the Tao Temple in Xiangfen County, clay gray pottery, extravagant mouth, folded edge, folded shoulder, three cone feet, and lower abdomen ornamented rope pattern.
--- Jade Rabbit ---
Shang Dynasty cultural relics, green and white jade, excavated from the Linfen Pondu cemetery, with a diameter of 0.9 cm and a height of 2.1 cm, cylindrical, two ears vertically hollowed out, round eyes slightly convex, and concave bottom. The whole instrument has a unique and simple shape.
--- Western Zhou Copper Bird Cup ---
The Dahekou cemetery in Yicheng County was excavated. The water vessel, the whole apparatus is a phoenix-shaped bird with an upright head, the chest and abdomen protrude obliquely out of the tubular long stream, the bird's back opens the oval opening, with an oval cover, and the lower abdomen of the tail has an elephant head and foot. The neck, chest, abdomen and back are scaled with different sizes, staggered, with the sun line cloud thunder pattern as the ground. Inside the cover there are 8 lines and 51 characters of inscriptions, self-titled 盉, which adds a new shape to the bronze ware of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which is a rare fine product among the artifacts excavated in Shanxi.
--- Zhaocheng Jinzang ---
"Zhao Cheng Jinzang", a vast Buddhist classic with more than 7,000 volumes, is not only a Buddhist book, but also an all-encompassing ancient book involving philosophy, history, language, literature, art, astronomy, almanac, medicine, architecture and other fields, and is praised by the Buddhist community as "the secret of the lone book between the heavens and the earth". In today's world, it has become a unique and extremely precious book. Therefore, it was regarded as a rare treasure, and in 1949, the "Zhao Cheng Golden Collection" was transported to Beiping and transferred to the collection of the Then Beiping Library (now the National Library). Together with the Yongle Canon, the Siku Quanshu, and the Dunhuang Testament, it is called the treasure of the four major towns of the National Library, and in the Linfen Museum, there is a volume of the 359th Volume of the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra.
◇ Some of the information in this article comes from the official website of Linfen Museum and Shanxi Evening News
◇ The pictures not marked in this article come from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author
- End -