Bronzes from Hunan Museum Exhibited in New York

On February 1, “Bronzes of Shang and Zhou Dynasties from Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River” (until June, 2011) co-hosted by Hunan Provincial Museum and National Museum of China, China Institute in America were open to the American audience in New York. It is the second exhibition themed on the collection of Hunan Provincial Museum after “Nobel Tombs at Mawangdui: Art and Life of the Changsha Kingdom” held in US.

The exhibition room

68 pieces/sets of bronzes were elaborately selected by Hunan Provincial Museum and chronologically, showcased in two exhibition rooms. The bronze vessels or containers, with massive figures, peculiar decorative styles and impressive vividness in the full relief animals, fully demonstrate the high technical level and profound historical connotations of the bronze culture of Shang and Zhou Dynasties in Hunan area.

Elephant-shaped Bronze Zun in exhibition

A party for preview exhibition had been held on January 24 by National Museum of China, China Institute in America, in which Li Jianmao, vice director of Hunan Provincial Museum and Xiong Jianhua, general-director of Cultural Relic Bureau, Hunan Cultural Department were present by invitation. Hai Weilan, the director of National Museum of China, China Institute in America and Li Jianmao presided over the preview, briefing the overview of the exhibition to guests and expressing the sincere hope of, through this exhibition, introducing the distinctive features of bronzes of Shang and Zhou Dynasties from middle reaches of the Yangtze River as well as the splendid Chinese civilization to our American friends. Those brilliant bronzes with over 3,000 years of history displayed in the preview were highly reviewed by the attended guests and members.

Teenagers are appreciating the bronzes.

American visitors are walking around the Chinese treasures.