Lovers of Chinese art are to have pleasant weekends again, as the National Museum of China has reopened some of its exhibitions, which were closed during the past two months.
The National Museum, which is located on the east side of Tian'anmen Square, holds a special exhibition towards the end of the year on 179 important and valuable cultural relics, some of which have been inscribed on China's national treasure list.
The exhibits, including examples of bronze wares, ceramics, lacquer wares, and jade artifacts as well as gold and silver articles, have been carefully stored in warehouses. Selected from more than 300,000 pieces in the collection of the museum, they date from prehistoric times to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The mysterious bronze masks discovered in Sanxingdui in southwest China's Sichuan Province are on display. The masks shed some light on the ancient kingdom of Shu, some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. Visitors to the exhibition can also see delicate porcelain wares from the most renowned ancient kilns in China.
As well as the special exhibition, the museum is hosting an exhibition entitled "Spirits of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907): A Glance into the Social Life."
The exhibition features 210 cultural relics of the Tang Dynasty. Most of the relics were unearthed in the tombs of aristocrats in Xi'an, the capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province. One third of the relics have never been put on display before.
The national museum is also to host a September exhibition in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the building of the Mountain Resort in Chengde, in north China's Hebei Province.
The Mountain Resort, which served as a summer palace for the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, was built between 1703 and 1792. The resort and its outlying temples were inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List in 1994.
The resort is a vast complex of palaces and administrative and ceremonial buildings. Temples of various architectural styles and imperial gardens blend harmoniously into a landscape of lakes, pasture land and forests.
In addition to its aesthetic interest, the Mountain Resort is a rare historic vestige of the final development of Chinese feudal society.
National Museum of China spokesman Huang Chen said: "The exhibition will give a display of the artistic essence of traditional Chinese architecture, gardens and religions."
(China Daily July 12, 2003)
