Appeared today
"The Land of Roses - Fine Exhibition of Ancient Syrian Antiquities"
Motivation for the interview
Today, the Rose Country - Syrian Ancient Cultural Relics Exhibition will be unveiled at the Hebei Museum, with 198 pieces / groups of Syrian cultural relics debuting, depicting a cultural picture and a magnificent historical picture of 500,000 years.
Visitors linger in front of the exhibits. Photo by Wang Jianguo, reporter of this newspaper
Paleolithic hand axes dating back hundreds of thousands of years, ancient cuneiform clay tablets, unique lapis lazuli ornaments from the Two Rivers Valley... On January 19, the "Rose Country - Syrian Ancient Cultural Relics Exhibition" of the Hebei Museum telling the "world story" will be unveiled in the exhibition halls 13 and 14 of the northern area of the hospital, and 198 pieces / groups of Syrian cultural relics will appear together, depicting a cultural picture of 500,000 years and a magnificent historical picture.
Mother-of-pearl mosaic. (Photo courtesy of Hebei Museum)
Located at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa, Syria is not only one of the birthplaces of world civilization, but also an important participant in Silk Road civilization. China and Syria are divided into the eastern and western ends of Asia, the ancient Silk Road connects thousands of rivers and mountains, and the exchanges and friendship between the two ancient civilizations span thousands of years and endure.
Hosted by the Hebei Museum and the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, this exhibition brings together exquisite cultural relics from 9 museums in Syria, and specially selects some collections of 3 cultural and museum institutions in China, Dunhuang Academy, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum and Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum, with a total of 198 exhibits/groups, divided into five parts: "First Sound and Dawn", "Faith and Eternity", "Collapse and Opportunity", "Classicism and Refinement" and "Silk Road and Inheritance", aiming to further interpret Syrian civilization for domestic audiences. From different perspectives, it highlights the characteristics of Asian cultural proximity, cultural affinity, harmony and difference, and peaceful coexistence.
Visitors take photos in front of the exhibits. Photo by Wang Jianguo, reporter of this newspaper
"This exhibition is an outreach carefully prepared by the Hebei Museum for the people of Shijiazhuang during the Spring Festival." Zhang Yongqiang, assistant director of the exhibition research department of the institute, said that the roses produced in Damascus, the capital of Syria, are one of the oldest and most precious rose varieties in the world, so Syria is also known as the "country of roses". Today, Damascus roses are grown all over the world, and Syria's splendid ancient cultural heritage attracts the world's attention like the refreshing fragrance of roses. This is also the origin of the name of this exhibition.
Yesterday, as soon as the reporter stepped into the hall, it was as if stepping into a time tunnel, and one by one ancient and precious cultural relics were carefully displayed in the context of time, leading people back to the wonderful moments of history: the oldest exhibits are a hand axe from the Paleolithic era 500,000 years ago. It is basically symmetrical on the left and right sides and the front and back sides, and is recognized by the academic community as the first standardized processing heavy tool in human history; The cuneiform clay tablets widely used in the Two Rivers Valley record everyday events ranging from political accusations and legal provisions to the distribution of cooking oil and the way bread molds are made; A blue-green glazed terracotta bowl from the Abbasid period exhibit from the National Museum of Damascus, similar in color to the color of the sky, experts have found that the improvement of its terracotta billet may be the result of imitating Chinese porcelain-making techniques...
Blue-green glazed terracotta bowl. Photo by Wang Jianguo, reporter of this newspaper
In this regard, Qi Yu, project leader of the Liaison Office of the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, said that these cultural relics from Syria are carefully selected by local museum staff, which have historical and artistic value, and can reflect the cultural richness and diversity of Syria. Moreover, the mainland and Syria have a long history of exchanges, and several domestic cultural relics exhibited this time, including the "Daqin Nestorian Popular Chinese Stele" and carved stone steles, show the historical cultural exchanges and trade exchanges between China and Syria, and show the traditional friendship between China and countries along the "Belt and Road".
Lapis lazuli necklace. (Photo courtesy of Hebei Museum)
It is understood that the exhibition of ancient Syrian cultural relics will be on display at the River Expo until April 9. Previously, the exhibition has been exhibited in Beijing, Chengdu and other places, and was listed as one of the top ten exhibitions in Beijing that cannot be missed in 2022. Domestic experts who have been engaged in relevant research for a long time said that many of the cultural relics in this exhibition are Syrian national treasures, and this time they can be concentrated in China, which shows the high specifications and full preparation of the exhibition. Therefore, this is a big exhibition worth visiting again and again.
Text/Yanzhao Evening News reporter Huang Bei