On May 18th, the Qin and Han Dynasty Pavilion of Shaanxi History Museum was grandly opened, and the "Qin and Han Civilizations" series of blockbuster exhibitions were unveiled at the same time, with the basic display of "The Same World - Qin and Han Civilization Theme Exhibition" and "Great Beauty of China - Qin and Han Civilization Special Exhibition" together constitute one axis and two wings of the series of exhibitions highlighting the great achievements of Qin and Han civilizations, and the two special exhibitions are divided into "City and Mausoleum" and "Technology and Beauty".
The "Technology and Beauty" exhibition hall is divided into four parts: Five-color China, Fenghao Reflection, Dance and Shadow Song, and Lingering Fragrance in the Furnace, with a total of more than 300 cultural relics on display. Different from previous exhibitions, walking in this exhibition hall can hear soothing music, appreciate the elegant posture of music and dance, the smooth brushstrokes of calligraphy, the brilliant colors of paintings, and the silk fragrance of incense burners, so that the audience can start a wonderful journey through the art and technology of the ancient Qin and Han dynasties under the stimulation of the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Five-color China - a cultural phenomenon of color
"If 'City and Mausoleum' shows 'black box' art, 'Technique and Beauty' is the 'white box' art exhibition hall." Ren Xueli, director of the exhibition department of the Shaanxi History Museum, introduced that the color tone of "technology and beauty" is mainly white and gray, emphasizing the light and shadow inside, so that the audience can understand that color is not only a visual effect in the Qin and Han dynasties, but also a profound cultural phenomenon.
In the first part, "Five Colors of China", the curator reflects the pursuit of harmony and beauty in the Qin and Han dynasties through the use of color. The "shape and color" in "architectural color", "instrument color" and "clothing color" are used to convey the unique color concept of ancient China to the audience. The color design of the exhibition is based on the five-color system of the Qin and Han dynasties, using the five basic colors of "green, red, yellow, white and black" on the cultural relics to show the ancients' understanding of the cycle of seasons and the change of dynasties, and reflect the philosophical thinking of the five elements and the various states of life contained in the cultural relics.
In the "Architectural Color" section, the audience can still imagine the appearance of the buildings that no longer existed in the Qin and Han dynasties through the pottery buildings and murals. In the "Vessel Color" section, you can enjoy the colorful and beautiful shapes of painted pottery and glazed pottery, and experience the superb skills of the pottery industry in the Han Dynasty.
In addition, the "Color Show" and "Immersive Experience" sections not only show the philosophical concept of "starting from chaos and returning to nothingness", but also allow the audience to feel the interpretation and change of colors during the visit. The colorful mineral pigment boxes in the display cabinet show the ancient mainland from plant dyes to mineral dyes, from thread dyeing to horse dyeing, and then to twisted dyeing, batik, printing, color and other colors, showing the rich and colorful clothing technology of the Qin and Han dynasties.
The golden age of calligraphy
The Qin and Han dynasties were an important stage in the formation of Chinese calligraphy, and "Sharp Reflections" is the second part of the exhibition. This exhibition area shows the smoothness and vividness of calligraphy art with lines, reflecting the aesthetic value and exquisite skills of Qin and Han calligraphy. For example, the introduction of the "Eight Points" Lishu shows the exquisite skills of calligraphy art with its stable center of gravity and outstanding characteristics of picking and picking paintings.
The exhibition area uses a "three-dimensional" way to display 12 pieces of Han Dynasty wooden tablets, which belong to the Xisai border customs documents, due to the collection, less unearthed information, and more damage, difficult to conjugate or tie, in the form of "three-dimensional" display can allow the audience to observe the text on these wooden tablets more closely. This group of simple books, the font is Lishu, visually more fluent and lively than the stele inscription. The turning of their brushstrokes, the strength of their dots, and the speed at which they move with their pens all express the emotions of the writers.
In addition to wooden tablets, this section also exhibits cultural relics such as seals, seal carvings, and sealing mud from the Qin and Han dynasties. Among them, the seal part shows the power structure and aesthetic taste of ancient society. Xu Jian, an artist of the Qing Dynasty, described the seals of the Qin and Han dynasties as "as strong as a drum and sword, as thin as a cocoon", with both the strength of a mountain and the grace of a willow. Xu Jian believes that the secret of engraving lies in the "first chapter method, then the knife method", the former is the form, the latter is the god, copying the private seal of the Qin and Han officials, is the ultimate shortcut to master the art of sealing.
The art of seal carving reached its peak in the Qin and Han dynasties, and the seals were mostly printed in seal scripts, and the materials were mainly copper, but also precious materials such as gold and silver. The ancients used a knife to write on behalf of the pen to carve out straight and square, strong and steep, concave and convex text lines, which perfectly combined writing and carving, leaving a wealth of traces of life and artistic achievements.
Most of the clay seals exhibited in the exhibition were unearthed in the archaeological excavations of Shaanxi Province and the ruins of Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty, which not only have important historical value, but also cannot be ignored in their artistry. When sealing the mud in the seal cover, due to the different strength and angle of the wonderful changes, the block surface and the line formed a strong visual contrast, enhance the artistic appeal of the printing surface.
Dance and Shadow - A vivid reproduction of the music and dance of the Han Dynasty
The "Technique and Beauty" exhibition, through the display of music and dance figurines, highlights the elegant style and dynamic beauty of music and dance in the Han Dynasty, which are the embodiment of artistic beauty in the Qin and Han dynasties. Fu Yi's "Dance Fu" in the Eastern Han Dynasty records the live scene of music and dance in the Han Dynasty, and the music and dance figurines on display make this visual and auditory feast seem to freeze in frame, allowing the audience to feel the artistic charm of Han Dynasty music and dance.
The music and dance figurines displayed in the exhibition area were unearthed in a female cemetery in Baqiao District, Xi'an City, and more than 220 pieces (groups) of artifacts were unearthed in the tomb, including the group of Han Dynasty music and dance figurines on display, and the "band" members of this group of music and dance figurines can be seen have 2 musicians who strike the bell and make up the Xin, and 2 musicians are responsible for playing and playing musical instruments, and there are 4 singers and dancers next to them. The exhibition showcases the funeral concept of "death is like life", allowing the audience to get a glimpse of the life scene of the tomb owner's life before his death.
The exhibition area skillfully integrates multimedia technology, interacting the elegant image of Han Dynasty female music and dance with the mirror surface of modern dancers and audiences, and from the moment the audience enters the exhibition area, a communication across time and space begins. This innovative display technique successfully attracted many visitors to experience the cultural atmosphere of that era.
Aroma in the oven – the perfect combination of spices and smoker
When the audience walked into the "Fragrance in the Furnace" exhibition area, a light aroma of herbs mixed with herbs came to their faces. In the C glass cabinet in the exhibition area, it is the first-class cultural relics unearthed in Maoling, "gilded silver bamboo smoker", which is not only a work of art, but also an important witness of incense culture in the Qin and Han dynasties. In this exhibition area, you can also see aromatherapy appliances from different materials in the Qin and Han dynasties, as well as spices of various materials.
The custom of using incense in China has a long history, from the pre-Qin period of Lan, Hui, Xiao, Gui and Zhi to the Qin and Han dynasties from the Western Regions from the agarwood, sandalwood, frankincense and jiaxiang, the use of spices is not only a living habit, but also a cultural phenomenon. During the Qin and Han dynasties of the Warring States Period, people used a variety of incense utensils such as smokers, incense balls, incense sachets, incense pillows, etc., with Boshan furnace as the most, which was an expression of the mountain forest view and the belief in immortals. The "Lingering Fragrance in the Furnace" exhibition area reproduces the world of Qin and Han aromas, and also shows the importance that the ancients attached to the quality of life and aesthetic pursuit.
In order to let the audience have a deep sensory impression of aromatherapy, the curator also set up a "fragrance experience" in the exhibition area, in which the master of Shaanxi's intangible cultural heritage, based on the spices of pre-Qin documents and archaeological excavations, blended a fragrance, so that the audience can feel the life atmosphere and cultural atmosphere of that era more deeply through the sense of smell in addition to visual enjoyment. This multi-dimensional experience not only enables the audience to learn the culture of the Qin and Han dynasties, but also to experience the pursuit of beauty in the depths of their hearts.
In curating the exhibition, the museum also pays special attention to the needs of different audience groups, such as low stands for children, and accessibility services for people with disabilities. In the "Fragrance Experience" area, some viewers noticed that when they opened the lid of the box where the spices were stored, there was a raised Braille explanation of the name of the spice. From sight to smell, from hearing to touch, each step is a new exploration, and each exhibit is a dialogue that spans thousands of years. The consideration of these details reflects the intentions and professionalism of the Qinhan Pavilion of the Shaanxi History Museum in terms of public cultural services, and in the multi-dimensional cultural experience exhibition that can be seen, felt, smelled and touched, it not only inherits the thousand-year-old technology, but also has the beauty of the soul inherited from the past to the present.
(Source: Cultural Relics Shaanxi)