On April 26, 2016, the exhibition titled “Vigorous Art on Ancient Pottery—Co-exhibition of Prehistoric Painted Pottery of the Yellow River Basin”, scheduled for 3 months, opened to the public at Jinsha Site Museum. 

The exhibition includes national treasures such as the pointed-bottom bottle with spiral patterns, the painted pottery plate with dragon design, and the eggshell black pottery cup. These exhibits present a full picture of the prehistoric development of colored pottery in China, embody the exchanges of prehistoric civilizations, and offer us a chance to meet the prehistoric people and engage in spiritual dialogue with them.

The painted pottery is the most colorful artwork among the diverse types of prehistoric pottery in China. The complex or simple patterns on the pottery vessels not only show the unique temporal and regional styles, but also represent different aesthetics, beliefs and customs. The spread of painted pottery and the wave of prehistoric art it brought was a great cultural fusion in the history of China which marked a firmer cultural identity. The prehistoric painted pottery in China emerged in approximately 5,000 BC and developed for nearly 4,000 years. The Yellow River Basin is the area with the most concentrated and distinctive discoveries of painted pottery, and has witnessed the birth of the three centers of painted pottery culture, i.e. Yangshao Culture, Dawenkou Culture and Majiayao Culture.