Trickle down the source of the river of civilization

He Zun, Changxin Palace Lamp, Bronze Sun Wheel Debuted in the Exhibition "Why China"

Trickle down the source of the river of civilization

The Forbidden City has a major exhibition at the beginning of the year. Under the guidance of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the "Why China" exhibition organized by the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Central Radio and Television Corporation and 29 museums is on display, and more than 130 precious cultural relics (sets) such as He Zun, Changxin Palace Lamp, and the Tibetan "Four Medical Classics" are gathered in the Wenhua Hall of the Forbidden City, showing the origin and development of Chinese civilization, brilliant achievements and major contributions to human civilization.

The exhibition unit is determined by water, focusing on the "source", "flow" and "sink" of the long river of Chinese civilization

Starting from the source, all the way to the flow and integration, and finally into a vast torrent of pluralism, continuous and inclusiveness... If Chinese civilization is compared to water, cultural relics are the sedimentation and creation of water. The "Why China" exhibition design depends on the water, connecting the origin, inheritance and development of civilization into one, comparing it to the "source", "flow" and "convergence" of the river.

Chinese civilization began with a trickle, and the "source" is a little light at the beginning of civilization. In the first unit of the exhibition, "Source", the bronze sun wheel of Sanxingdui was erected in the display cabinet, which attracted many visitors to stop.

Sleeping for thousands of years, waking up shocked the world. The bronze sun wheel was excavated in 1986 at Sanxingdui No. 2 Pit and got its name because of its resemblance to the sun. "Our ancestors had mixed feelings about the sun very early on, and the bronze sun wheel is likely to be a testimony to this emotion." Lei Yu, director of the Sanxingdui Site Archaeological Workstation, said that in the new round of archaeological excavations in Sanxingdui, bronze sun wheels, sacred trees, eye shapers and other bronzes related to sun worship have been found again in several sacrificial pits, and many bronzes are decorated with sun patterns, reflecting the ancient Shu people's reverence and thinking about the sun and nature.

Civilizations are enriched by exchanges and enriched by mutual learning. The Chinese nation is formed by the cohesion of many nationalities, connected by flesh and blood, and interdependent in lips and teeth. In the long history of Chinese civilization, all ethnic groups have jointly written a long history and created a splendid culture. Stepping into the second unit of the exhibition, "Flow", the traces of communication and integration between nations, between the native and the outside, and between human beings and nature can be seen everywhere.

Shaped like a flower tree, the golden branches sway, and the flower tree-like golden step shake from the Liaoning Museum is not only beautiful. It is a crown ornament unique to Murong Xianbei during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Wei and Jin dynasties, originating in West Asia, and was introduced south with the northern nomads through the grassland Silk Road, and was popular in the western Liaoning region. Its style not only affected the ethnic minorities in the north and even east Asia, but also an important witness to the integration and cultural exchange of ethnic groups.

Small mouth, small bottom, long drum belly, Persian peacock blue glaze pottery vase shape is like an upright olive, the surface is applied with blue-green glaze color, the industry called "peacock blue glaze". It has been examined that this combination of pottery in shape, glaze color and grain is a representative artifact transmitted from the ancient Persian region in the maritime Silk Road trade. The small clay vase has become a cultural messenger of the Maritime Silk Road and the fusion of East and West.

The lamp of Changxin Palace "lit" the Flame of the Winter Olympics, and He Zun incarnated as the Flame Of the Winter Olympics

What did the ancestors leave behind for us today? What has China contributed to the development of the world? In the third unit of the exhibition, "Sink", a lamp gives its answer.

"Finally see the real body of the Changxin Palace lamp!" Mr. Wang, who is engaged in graphic design work in Beijing, told reporters that the exhibit he is most looking forward to in this exhibition is the lamp of the Western Han Dynasty Changxin Palace unearthed from Mancheng, Hebei Province. "The Changxin Palace lamp is not only beautiful in shape, but also ingenious in design, known as the 'first lamp in China', and our Winter Olympics tinder lamp also draws inspiration from here."

Changxin Palace lamp shape is light and gorgeous, a kneeling lamp palace girl, the left hand holding the lamp plate, the center of the lamp plate has a wick, the right arm is held high, the hanging sleeve tube becomes a lampshade; the design is clever and environmentally friendly, the palace woman's sleeve tube is connected with the body to form a flue, when the lamp candle is lit, the soot slowly enters the hollow body along the sleeve tube, thereby keeping the indoor environment clean.

"The idea of the Beijing Winter Olympics Tinder Lantern originated from the Changxin Palace Lamp of the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, hoping to use the meaning of 'Changxin' to express people's pursuit and yearning for light and hope." Li Jianye, the designer of the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch, introduced that the design team modernized the tinder lamp on the basis of retaining the basic shape of the Changxin Palace lamp, and the flying red ribbon surrounded the top of the tinder lamp, which was visually unified with the torch "flying", symbolizing the Olympic spirit of hard work.

Fixed source heavy equipment, housez china. In a separate display case, a statue of He Zun from the Baoji Bronze Museum unveils the mystery of "China".

He Zun has a 122-character inscription cast in the inner sole, which contains the following sentence: Yu Qi's house is in China, and he is a servant of the people. "The 'China' in the inscription is the earliest known record of the word 'China.'" Li Qi, vice president of the Baoji Bronze Ware Museum, introduced.

He Zun's story does not stop there, it is also the source of inspiration for the design of the Tinder Platform at the Winter Olympics. It is understood that the Beijing Winter Olympics ceremony Tinder Platform takes "carrying the sky carrier" as the design concept, adopts the curved shape of the zun, and the base is calm, symbolizing "all things on the ground". The top stretches out and opens, implying to meet the pure Olympic flame; the auspicious cloud pattern gradually turns into snowflakes from down to the top, symbolizing the spiritual inheritance of the "City of The Two Olympics"; the red ribbon flutters and dances, surrounds the upwards, and is harmoniously unified with the torch design; the color of red and silver symbolizes the fusion of tradition and modernity, technology and passion.

A lamp, a statue, a beam of light, through the millennium of time and space, the deep and romantic Chinese culture shines eternally, perfectly fits with the Olympic spirit, and burns fiercely.

Activate the vitality of cultural relics with modern expressions, and feel the longevity and nourishment of Chinese civilization

The "Why China" exhibition is like a window, and the bucket room can be seen to be the greatness of China and the far-reaching meaning; just like the ruler, the length of civilization and the breadth of nourishment can be measured between pitches. "As an exhibition that shows Chinese civilization, in the process of guiding the curation and syllabus writing, we closely focus on the theme of 'Why China', base ourselves on the land of China, and tell Chinese stories well." Jin Ruiguo, deputy director of the Department of Museums and Social Cultural Relics of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said.

"The name of this exhibit is 'White Jade Transparent Carved Dragon and Phoenix Pattern Wall', the time is from the late Warring States period to the early Western Han Dynasty, and it is the collection of the Palace Museum..." At the exhibition site, the reporter met Mr. Yu who brought his daughter to the exhibition.

"A while ago, I watched "National Treasure" and learned that there would be this exhibition, and it just so happened that the children were on vacation, so they came over to feel and learn together." Mr. Yu said.

This exhibition of the forbidden city is also a special exhibition of cultural relics of the large-scale cultural exploration program "National Treasures Exhibition season". "National Treasures Exhibition Season" draws inspiration from the past and present lives of the national treasures in the three seasons of the festival, and presents the wonderful stories of national treasures to the audience with dance dramas, musicals, song singing, instrumental performances and other diverse art forms. The cultural relics on display this time were carefully selected and recommended by museums around the world, and many of them were "cultural relics stars" that had been promoted in the previous programs of "National Treasures".

In recent years, "Wenbo fever" has gradually become a climate. From the popularity of documentaries such as "If National Treasures Can Talk" and "I Repair Cultural Relics in the Forbidden City", to the phenomenon-level TV programs such as "National Treasure Archives" and "National Treasures", to the hot sale of cultural and creative products in museums such as the Forbidden City calendar, and the excavation of Sanxingdui to set off an "archaeological fever" for the whole people... The creative way of cultural relics publicity is frequent, and the beneficial exploration of telling the story of cultural relics has made the unique charm of China's excellent traditional culture continue to bloom.

It is understood that the "Why China" exhibition will last until May 4. According to the current epidemic prevention and control situation, in accordance with the principles of reservation, flow restriction and staggered peaks, the audience can make real-name reservations through the Palace Museum's online ticketing website and WeChat public account "Palace Museum Audience Service", using second-generation ID cards or passport information. (Reporter Chai Yaxin)

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