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Treasures no longer buried but on dazzling display
By Pan Zheng |
April 6, 2009, Monday
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THE Zhejiang Provincial Museum is regarded as the first provincial museum in China. An important part of Hangzhou, the museum houses a huge collection of priceless objects. Pan Zheng explores.
Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang Province that offers a dazzling variety of beautiful scenes, used to be a regular destination for ancient emperors.
In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Hangzhou (which was then known as Lin'an) became the political and economic center of the country.
A history of more than 2,200 years and rich culture have left Hangzhou a vast amount of historical treasure and heritage. Most have been excavated and are now on display in museums. There are many museums in Hangzhou, and the largest is the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
Located on Gushan Road, the Zhejiang Provincial Museum is regarded as the first provincial museum in China. In 1929, Hangzhou held its first West Lake Expo, a huge national event for the time. The exhibition lasted for four months and then, based on the temporary imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the famous Wenlan Pavilion, the West Lake Museum was built. In August 1953, it was renamed the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
It was reconstructed and expanded in 1993 and now occupies 20,400 square meters with 10 halls exhibiting cultural relics, celadon wares, paintings and calligraphy, coins, arts and crafts souvenirs, furniture of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties, and objects of lasting interest.
As the biggest museum in Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Museum hosts a collection of more than 100,000 treasured cultural relics, including pottery and lacquer wares, wooden, bone and ivory objects dating from the Hemudu Culture (5200-4500 BC), jade articles and silk fabrics from the Liangzhu Culture, bronze wares from the State of Yue in the Warring States Period (475-211 BC) and the Imperial Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty as well as many other cultural treasures.
The Wenlan Pavilion is a symbol of the museum. Built in 1784 by Emperor Qianlong (1736-95), the Wenlan Pavilion was used as a library especially to store one of only seven copies of the Imperial Collection of Four, the most complete collection of all the books in China at that time.
The books were destroyed in the war but the pavilion stands there still leaving its empty book shelves, perhaps, to tell some of its history silently to visitors.
For such a big museum with so much to offer, it's a great surprise that admission is free - seeing thousands of treasures will not cost a penny. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum and the China National Silk Museum were the first two free museums in Zhejiang Province.
"In many foreign countries, museums have played a very important part in people's daily life. Nowadays in China, through economic development and an increase in the awareness of the need for cultural appreciation, people are paying more attention to museums than ever before," says Chen Hao, curator of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
"No doubt, providing free admission attracts many more visitors, which may produce subtle or obvious effects in society. I believe the museums will weigh more and more in people's hearts, and eventually will become an indispensable part of daily life," he says.
Although admission is free, the exhibitions are priceless - and there are special shows going on like the Pagoda of King Ashoka, the cultural relics of the Zhou Dynasties (the Western Zhou, 1046-771 BC, and the Eastern Zhou, 770-221 BC), and a Chinese painting show of Sun Guili.
Other special exhibitions are now in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, providing a feast for eyes.
"It was not on my travel plan originally, but when I heard there's a museum without admission, I decided to come," says a visitor. "And now I think, even if it were not free, it would still be worth it."
Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang Province that offers a dazzling variety of beautiful scenes, used to be a regular destination for ancient emperors.
In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Hangzhou (which was then known as Lin'an) became the political and economic center of the country.
A history of more than 2,200 years and rich culture have left Hangzhou a vast amount of historical treasure and heritage. Most have been excavated and are now on display in museums. There are many museums in Hangzhou, and the largest is the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
Located on Gushan Road, the Zhejiang Provincial Museum is regarded as the first provincial museum in China. In 1929, Hangzhou held its first West Lake Expo, a huge national event for the time. The exhibition lasted for four months and then, based on the temporary imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the famous Wenlan Pavilion, the West Lake Museum was built. In August 1953, it was renamed the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
It was reconstructed and expanded in 1993 and now occupies 20,400 square meters with 10 halls exhibiting cultural relics, celadon wares, paintings and calligraphy, coins, arts and crafts souvenirs, furniture of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties, and objects of lasting interest.
As the biggest museum in Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Museum hosts a collection of more than 100,000 treasured cultural relics, including pottery and lacquer wares, wooden, bone and ivory objects dating from the Hemudu Culture (5200-4500 BC), jade articles and silk fabrics from the Liangzhu Culture, bronze wares from the State of Yue in the Warring States Period (475-211 BC) and the Imperial Kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty as well as many other cultural treasures.
The Wenlan Pavilion is a symbol of the museum. Built in 1784 by Emperor Qianlong (1736-95), the Wenlan Pavilion was used as a library especially to store one of only seven copies of the Imperial Collection of Four, the most complete collection of all the books in China at that time.
The books were destroyed in the war but the pavilion stands there still leaving its empty book shelves, perhaps, to tell some of its history silently to visitors.
For such a big museum with so much to offer, it's a great surprise that admission is free - seeing thousands of treasures will not cost a penny. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum and the China National Silk Museum were the first two free museums in Zhejiang Province.
"In many foreign countries, museums have played a very important part in people's daily life. Nowadays in China, through economic development and an increase in the awareness of the need for cultural appreciation, people are paying more attention to museums than ever before," says Chen Hao, curator of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum.
"No doubt, providing free admission attracts many more visitors, which may produce subtle or obvious effects in society. I believe the museums will weigh more and more in people's hearts, and eventually will become an indispensable part of daily life," he says.
Although admission is free, the exhibitions are priceless - and there are special shows going on like the Pagoda of King Ashoka, the cultural relics of the Zhou Dynasties (the Western Zhou, 1046-771 BC, and the Eastern Zhou, 770-221 BC), and a Chinese painting show of Sun Guili.
Other special exhibitions are now in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, providing a feast for eyes.
"It was not on my travel plan originally, but when I heard there's a museum without admission, I decided to come," says a visitor. "And now I think, even if it were not free, it would still be worth it."
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