Museum
Zhejiang
Provincial Museum
FOUNDED in 1929, Zhejiang Provincial Museum
is one of the oldest in China. On the northern banks of the
picturesque West Lake in Hangzhou, at the southern foot of Gu
Mountain - it has an extremely auspicious location from a geomantic
point of view. The museum uses various techniques to enhance
the display of its exhibits, such as restoration of ancient
relics, large screen projection, and a magnifier for those who
want to take a close look.
Currently, the museum houses a collection
of over 100,000 cultural relics displayed in seven halls, namely,
the History and Cultural Relics Hall, Celadon Hall, Calligraphy
and Paintings Hall, Hall of Coins, Handicrafts Hall, Hall of
Gifts, and the International Cultural Exchange Hall, the most
famous of which is Celadon Hall.
Ying decorated with a relief sculpture
of a coiled dragon, fired in a Five Dynasties Yue kiln.
Yue ware masterpieces were exclusively for imperial use.
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Celadon Hall is on the eastern side of the
museum courtyard, and comprises three buildings in the shape
of Chinese character hui. Zhejiang is the home of celadon, and,
as may be seen from its preponderance of kilns, was once the
main celadon producing area. The period spanning the Shang,
Zhou and Eastern Han dynasties (1600 B.C. - AD 220) was the
time of transition from pottery to porcelain, and it was in
the late Eastern Han Dynasty that the technology to produce
celadon first evolved. During the Tang, and Five Dynasties,
porcelain began to be made in batches, the most famous being
that produced in the Yue kiln. One of the museum's most treasured
exhibits is a Five Dynasties ying (a round jar with a small
mouth), decorated with a relief sculpture of a coiled dragon
that was made in a Yue kiln. Porcelain production techniques
reached their peak during the Song Dynasty, especially the Southern
Song, as manifested in Longquan celadon, which is so exquisitely
fine and delicate as to resemble jade. An over-glazing celadon
with black roughcast was produced in the government porcelain
kilns at about the same time, and is acknowledged as the best
of its kind.
Shabby and Miserable Officer by Ren
Yi, a Qing Dynasty Zhejiang native. The person depicted
in this painting is Wu Changshuo, master of poetry, calligraphy,
painting, and seal cutting. |
Another main exhibition hall, the History
and Cultural Relics Hall, contains depictions of periods that
had a deep influence on the history of Zhejiang Province, such
as the Hemudu Culture, and Liangzhu Culture, the Yue and Wuyue
States, and the Northern and Southern Song dynasties. The discovery
of the Hemudu Culture of the Neolithic Period, dating back 7,000
years, plays an important role in Chinese cultural history as
it proves that Chinese civilization not only originated in the
Yellow River valley, but also in the Yangtze River valley. The
Liangzhu Culture entered its patrilineal period 4,000 or 5,000
years ago, when it made the transition from a primitive to a
slave society. Abundant evidence has proved that this was the
highest degree of civilization in China and the whole area surrounding
the Pacific Ocean at that time.
As the Yue State was of the Shang and Zhou
dynasties - China's Bronze Age, bronze culture proliferated,
and swords of bronze were sought by the nobility. The museum
collection includes a sword, in good condition, that belonged
to the king of Yue of the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.).
In the late Tang Dynasty, Buddhism came to China, and there
are numerous sutras housed in the museum. The stone carvings
and clay sculptures of Buddha of the Song Dynasty (960-1279)
are particularly memorable.
Other exhibits include the works of Zhejiang's
Ming & Qing dynasties painting and calligraphy masters such
as Zhao Mengfu's calligraphic work On Flourishing of Literature,
and paintings by Wu Changshuo, and in the Folklore Hall is a
splendid and luxurious sedan. There is also a chance to visit
Wenlan Pavilion beside the museum and see the Complete Collection
in Four Treasuries.
