Introduction

The Treasures of Xinjiang: Exhibition of Precious Cultural Relics from Xinjiang

Xinjiang is a region boasting vast territory, abundant resources, magnificent landscapes, and a splendid historical and cultural heritage. Since time immemorial, it has served as a melting pot for multiple ethnic groups, religions, and cultures. Central governments throughout different dynasties have exercised jurisdiction over Xinjiang. All ethnic groups in Xinjiang are closely - knit members of the Chinese nation, bound by blood. They treat each other like family, offering mutual support, sharing joys and sorrows, and standing together through thick and thin. Over thousands of years of interaction, exchange, and integration, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang have united as closely as pomegranate seeds within the big family of the Chinese nation. They have composed a magnificent epic of developing and building Xinjiang, jointly forging a diverse yet integrated and resplendent Chinese civilization.

The unique geographical environment endows Xinjiang's historical and cultural heritage with distinct regional characteristics. The textiles, documents, and tomb paintings unearthed in Xinjiang have far - reaching influence both nationally and globally. These can be regarded as national treasures, depicting the production and living conditions of ancient Xinjiang residents and providing copious materials for research in disciplines such as history, archaeology, and art.

In the late Qing Dynasty, Zuo Zongtang, a national hero from Hunan, led his troops to reconquer Xinjiang. He highly commended Xinjiang, stating, "Both the southern and northern regions of the Tianshan Mountains are abundant in grain production, with numerous fruits, flocks of cattle and sheep, and herds of horses. There are extremely rich reserves of coal, iron, gold, silver, and jade. What appears to be a vast expanse of desert for thousands of miles is actually a basin teeming with treasures." This time, the Hunan Museum, in collaboration with the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum and the Turpan Museum, is jointly hosting "The Treasures of Xinjiang: Exhibition of Precious Cultural Relics from Xinjiang". A total of 158 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics, encompassing metalware, pottery, textiles, documents, calligraphy, and paintings, have been meticulously selected. The exhibition unfolds the historical and cultural narratives of Xinjiang from aspects such as the natural environment, the transformation from nomadic to agricultural production patterns, and the rich material and spiritual civilizations.

The Tianshan Mountains, a World Natural Heritage, traverse the central part of Xinjiang. Beneath the Tianshan Mountains lies the Silk Road, stretching across thousands of miles and spanning thousands of years. The Silk Road Spirit, characterized by peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit, is a legacy of human civilization. The treasures along the Silk Road embody the beauty of China's diverse yet integrated landscapes, history, and culture. Xinjiang's rich cultural heritage is a spiritual and cultural extravaganza that people of all ethnic groups should not miss.

Introduction

A Far Journey - An Exhibition of Tai Xiangzhou's Works in Tribute to the Han Dynasty Paintings of Mawangdui

From December 21, 2024 to February 21, 2025, Hunan Museum will hold the "A Far Journey - An Exhibition of Tai Xiangzhou's Works in Tribute to the Han Dynasty Paintings of Mawangdui" in No.3 Exhibition Hall on the third floor.

This exhibition is the grand finale of the series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the archaeological excavation of the Mawangdui Han Tombs by Hunan Museum. It carefully selects a total of 70 pieces (sets) of Tai Xiangzhou's new works in the past two years and representative works from different periods, which is a phased summary and retrospective exhibition of Tai Xiangzhou. The exhibition is divided into four sections, mainly presenting a new interpretation of the cultural patterns of the Han Dynasty in Mawangdui in the contemporary context, and how to continuously update artistic expressions with the characteristics of the times in the face of the profound history and culture of Xiaoxiang. The Xiaoxiang series of works are based on Tai Xiangzhou's research on Song Dynasty paintings. Considering the locality of the exhibition itself and combining the traditional culture and landscape features of Hunan, he reinterprets and explains the historically famous "Eight Scenes of Xiaoxiang Landscape Paintings" in a contemporary artistic language, completing a dialogue with the Huxiang culture, which can also be called "Inquiring into Xiaoxiang". The Celestial Phenomena series is one of his representative works. Especially in the expression of mountain stone structures and clouds, he has developed his own unique painting language, expanding ink painting to the spatial and temporal dimensions of geography and even cosmology. Learning from the ancients is the best way to study traditional Chinese painting. Tai Xiangzhou's Imitation of Ancient Landscape series precisely takes inspiration from the classic landscape paintings of the Song Dynasty and injects his own ideas and concepts, making the paintings present the characteristics of the times with "new looks on ancient appearances".

Tai Xiangzhou deeply understands that to enter the history of art, one must be familiar with the ideological and philosophical histories of ancient and modern times and complete one's own artistic construction and academic system. Looking at his painting process and ideological concepts, you will find that they subtly conform to Chinese philosophy and artistic spirit, reflecting the contemporary artist's thinking and exploration of the real world in the context of the new era. The exhibition aims to actively promote the innovation and
development of contemporary Chinese landscape painting and enable more people to understand and inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture.

Introduction

West Meets East:Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the "China-France Year of Cultural Tourism". On this significant celebratory year, the Hunan Museum, in collaboration with the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet, will hold the West Meets East:Retrospective Exhibition of Marc Riboud’s Photography in the special exhibition hall on the third floor of the Hunan Museum from September 26 to December 10, this exhibition is free to the public. This exhibition is organized by the Hunan Museum and the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet, co-organized by the Association Les amis de Marc Riboud, Ambassade de France en Chine and Institut francais de Chine. This exhibition is also an important visual art project of the "2024 Croisements Festival-Special Presentation for the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and France".

This exhibition selects 118 pieces/sets of classic photographic works by Marc Riboud from the collection of the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques- Guimet, including the valuable photos taken by Marc during his more than 20-times visits to China from 1957 to 2010. With Marc’s acute instinct, unique artistic insight and abundant photographic language, he captured the real pictures of various classes of Chinese society, and objectively introduced the huge transformation of history and society in China from 1950s to 2010 to the West. Marc’s photographic works not only have extremely high artistic value but also monumental historical significance. His works have witnessed great historical changes in China, many classic moments have become the epitome of China in the 20th century.

As Marc Riboud said, "The countries I love are like my friends. I like to see them again and understand their development and changes. Therefore, I often return to China. Everything here is developing faster than in other places. Even a careful person can see the eternity of things under this restless appearance."

Introduction

The Pure Heart of Art, The Nostalgia in Ink -- Exhibition of Su Gaoyu's Works

The Hunan Museum will hold the exhibition “ The Pure Heart of Art, The Nostalgia in Ink -- Exhibition of Su Gaoyu's Works” in the Special Exhibition Hall on the third floor from August 17, 2024 to September 10. The exhibition was jointly hosted by the Hunan Museum, the Hunan Artists Association, the Hunan Provincial Painting Academy, and co-organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Xiangxi Prefecture Committee.

The exhibition has selected more than 100 pieces (sets) of Su Gao Yu's works, covering Su's creative process of more than 40 years. It is a  retrospective exhibition on stage-by-stage summary.To prominently showcase Su's artistic styles and creative concepts in different periods, this exhibition selected Su’s representative works from each period so that the audience can have a profound comparison when viewing. The curatorial team communicated and coordinated with Su himself many times during the preparation of the exhibition. As the works themselves are mainly expressive freehand painting themed on flower-and-bird, considering the limitation of the exhibition area, in order to maximize the presentation of the characteristics of the works themselves, this exhibition still broke the museum's conventional curatorial method of using time clues as the vein, and eliminated the unit descriptions, so as to allow the works themselves to go to the audience for a dialogue. In terms of the flow of visitors, the form designer, in accordance with the characteristics of the area itself, did not borrow too much from the exhibition wall to set up a diversion area, but took the audience's point of sight as the core, and created a visiting atmosphere in line with the tone of the works step by step. Despite the absence of large-scale thematic works, the expressive freehand paintings themed on flower-and-bird reveal a vast world within small details.

The exhibition strives to foster innovation in contemporary Chinese freehand paintings themed on flower-and-bird and encourage a deeper understanding and preservation of China's rich cultural heritage.

Introduction

画意初心 墨韵乡愁——苏高宇作品展

湖南博物院将于 2024年8月17日至2024年9月10日在三楼特展三厅举办“画意初心 墨韵乡愁——苏高宇作品展”。该展览由湖南博物院、湖南省美术家协会、湖南省画院联合主办，中共湘西州委宣传部协办。

此次展览遴选了苏高宇一百余件（套）作品，涵盖艺术家四十余年的创作历程，是一次阶段性的总结回顾展。为了突出展示艺术家不同时间段的艺术风格和创作理念，我们选取了艺术家各个时期的代表作品，以便观众在观看时能有深刻的对比。策展团队在展览筹备期间，多次与艺术家本人沟通协调，因展品本身主要是大写意花鸟画小品，考虑到展厅展陈面积的限制，为了最大程度地呈现展品本身的特点，依然打破了博物馆常规以时间线索为脉络的策展方式，取消了单元说明和部说明，让作品本身去和观众对话。在参观流线方面，形式设计师按照场馆本身的特点，没有过多借用展墙设置分流区域，而是以观众视点为核心，一步一景营造出符合画面格调的参观氛围。尽管此次展品中没有主题性创作的大制作，几乎都是大写意花鸟画小品，但是我们可以“小中见大，从而见微知著，进而又见一番天地。”

展览旨在积极推动中国当代写意花鸟画的创新和发展，让更多的人了解和传承中华优秀的传统文化。

Introduction

The Flavor of Hunan Ⅱ

“The Flavor of Hunan Ⅱ” delves into the cultural artifacts related to liquor in the Hunan Museum. It combines local liquor customs, liquor culture, and liquor brands of Hunan Province. Through three perspectives — historical humanities, geographical conditions, and liquor customs — it interprets the profound history and tradition of Hunan liquor, its rich artisan culture, abundant revolutionary history, diverse cultural heritage, and intangible cultural legacy.

The exhibition is divided into four major sections, including "Liquor Culture in Hunan Museum" "Brewing Fine Liquor in Hunan" "Brewing Techniques," and "Fragrant Bistro". Through a sensory experience that engages sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, it guides the audience to appreciate the charm of Hunan liquor culture.

Introduction

Youth is Meant for Striving: An Exhibition of Youthful Mao Zedong’s Cultural Relics

Over the past century, with every forward stride of the era, the figure of the youth has been reflected, promoting the victory with their beliefs, suppressing the turbulence through diligence, and composing the anthem of the times with their youth.

Youthful Mao Zedong harbored lofty ideals, sought knowledge, tempered revolutionary skills, pursued truth, courageously undertook the mission of national rejuvenation, and harmonized knowledge with action, awakening the masses of workers and peasants. Confronting difficulties directly, he dared to struggle and advocated for striving.

This exhibition, centered around time, carefully selects over 150 exhibits from the Hunan Museum, Changsha Museum, Mao Zedong and the First Normal School Memorial Hall, and Hunan Provincial Archives. It showcases the journey of young Mao Zedong from studying at the normal school to leading the movements of workers and peasants, narrating his exemplary influence in cultivating moral character, establishing lofty ideals, loving the great motherland, and shouldering the responsibilities of his era.

Introduction

“君幸酒”——第二届守味湖南年·湘酒主题特展

“君幸酒——第二届守味湖南年·湘酒主题特展”通过挖掘湖南博物院与酒有关的文物资源，结合湖南省本土的酒俗、酒文化、酒品牌，从历史人文、地理风土以及酒俗生活三个视角演绎湘酒悠久历史传统、深厚的工匠文化、丰富的红色文化、多元的文化遗产和非物质文化遗产。

本次展览分为4大板块，包括湘博里的酒文化、湖湘酿好酒、酿造工艺以及馥郁酒馆，通过视觉、听觉、嗅觉、味觉、触觉的五感体验带领观众领略湖湘酒文化的魅力。

Introduction

Longyuan Rose-The Exhibition of Painted Pottery in Gansu Province

Ancestors in the Gansu province took nature as basis, selected plants, animals, rivers and other natural objects in the nature as the source of creation. Through the expression of dots, lines and planes, they not only created vibrant and charming patterns on potteries, such as plant pattern, animal pattern, swirling pattern and geometric pattern, combining with human beings, they also created dance pattern, gods and men pattern which are rich in thoughts. The flamboyant and bold red and black, painting the sun, moon and stars, painting all living things, painting what were seen and thought, from depicting the shape to the full nature of objects, the naive stroke from straight lines to curves, from pictogram to geometric, from realism to ideogram, which are the origin of the great beauty of China.

The painted pottery in Gansu province is the origin of the ornamental art in China, its colorful, simple and bright, bold and flexible features have left a strong mark in the history of Chinese art. In this exhibition, 210 pieces of Neolithic painted pottery from Gansu province are specially selected, including representative artifacts spanning 5000 years from the Dadiwan culture period to the Shajing culture period. Through the interpretation of various types of decorations on the painted pottery, the exhibition shows the changes in the aesthetic tastes of the ancestors, the advancement of knowledge and concepts, interprets the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, and then analyzes the initial features of the primitive religious beliefs and the formation of abstract symbols, aiming at tracing the childhood memories of the Chinese nation, and providing the deep driving force from the cultural genes for the success of the story of China.

Introduction

青春是用来奋斗的 ——毛泽东青年时期文物展

百年来每一次时代的向前，都倒映着年轻人的身影，他们用信念把黎明提前，用奋斗抚平动荡，用青春谱写时代之歌。

青年毛泽东胸怀远大理想，求知问学、锤炼革命本领，追求真理、勇担民族复兴使命，知行合一、唤醒广大工农群众。他直面困难，敢于斗争，主张奋斗。

本展览以时间为轴，甄选来自湖南博物院、长沙市博物馆、毛泽东与第一师范纪念馆、湖南省档案馆的150余件展品，展示青年毛泽东从师范求学到领导工农运动的奋斗历程，讲述他在锤炼品德修为、树立远大理想、热爱伟大祖国、担当时代责任等方面的榜样力量。