Special Exhibition“Prosperous Western Regions with Echoes Acrossing Miles:Silk Road Culture in Xinjiang”Opens at Jinsha Site Museum on the 28th
Release Time: 2024-05-27
On May 28, the“Brocaded Regions with Echoes Across Miles:Silk Road Culture in Xinjiang” Exhibition, jointly organized by the Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, will grandly open at the Jinsha Site Museum.
The exhibition brings together 131 exquisite pieces (sets) from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, the Chengdu Archaeology Research Institute, and the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum, covering the period from the pre-Qin to the Song and Yuan dynasties. These include fine silk and wool textiles, precious bamboo and wooden slips with multi-ethnic languages and scripts, magnificent sculptures and murals, luxurious gold, silver and jewelry, as well as painted pottery, bronzes, and other national treasures.
The exhibition has been recommended by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and the Cyberspace Administration of China, and has been selected for the 2024 list of themed exhibitions under "Reading China in Museums:Promoting Outstanding Traditional Chinese Culture and Cultivating Core Socialist Values."
Three World Cultural Heritage Sites Commemorate the Tenth Anniversary of the Silk Road's Inclusion as a World Heritage Site
In 2014, the "Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor," jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, was successfully inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Spanning nearly 5,000 kilometers, these routes encompass five categories of representative sites: central town ruins, trade settlement ruins, transportation and defense sites, religious sites, and associated sites. A total of 33 site points are scattered along the route, interconnected to form a network. This network weaves together a remarkable example of long-term human exchange and integration in areas such as long-distance transportation, trade, culture, religion, technology, and ethnic interactions.
Among them, the "Anxi Protectorate"—Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins, hailed as the "world's most perfect ruins," the "Beiting Protectorate"—Beiting Ancient City Ruins, and the Kizil Caves, known as "China's Second Dunhuang," are three site points that will be featured in this exhibition as integral parts of the Silk Road.
Two Major "Archaeological Discoveries" Lead to Legendary Ancient Kingdoms
In addition to showcasing the splendor of three World Heritage Sites, the exhibition also focuses on important archaeological discoveries in Xinjiang, using unearthed artifacts to tell the story of Chinese civilization and present the rich achievements of two "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries." The Niya site, known as the "Eastern Pompeii," was once the Kingdom of Jingjue, one of the 36 Western Regions recorded in the book "Book of Han: Biographies of the Western Regions." The Yingpan Cemetery, on the other hand, brings together the colorful cultural elements of the Western Regions, the Central Plains, and Central Asia and West Asia, condensing the panoramic picture of the "Ancient Kingdom of Loulan." These sites were respectively awarded the title of "Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries" in 1995 and 1997.
Bridging Civilizations through Shu Brocade
In this exhibition, a replica of the "five stars rise in the east, benefiting China" brocade arm guard, woven using Shu brocade techniques, will be displayed alongside a model of a loom unearthed from a Han tomb in Laoguan Mountain, Chengdu, and a Tang Dynasty yellow ground roundel-pattern brocade fragment from the collection of the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum. This juxtaposition will profoundly reflect the cultural exchange between Ba,Shu and the Western Regions through Shu brocade, and further manifest the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization.
This exhibition will run from May 28th to October 27th. During this period, the Jinsha Site Museum will also launch a series of supporting activities and exhibitions, such as "Face to Face with Archaeologists", "Silk Road Treasure Hunt" and a panoramic exhibition hall.
(志愿者:谭阳译)