The Chinese Archaeological Museum is a national-level professional archaeology museum under the Chinese Academy of History. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
Since it opened to the public more than a year ago, the Chinese Archaeological Museum, the first national-level professional museum named after archaeology in China, has become both a trove for national treasures and a window for China to recount its history.
Visitors enjoy the “Awakening of the Nation” section in the Chinese Archaeological Museum’s exhibition area. (Photo by Guo Shasha/ China Pictorial)
The Avenue of History in the Chinese Archaeological Museum showcases the milestone events in Chinese history in the form of a timeline. (Photo by Guo Shasha/ China Pictorial)
A turquoise dragon-shaped artifact from the Erlitou Culture in the Chinese Archaeological Museum attracts abundant visitors for its great historical and artistic value. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
Over 6,000 Exhibits
From the painted dragonpatterned pottery plates of the Neolithic Age and the turquoise-inlaid ivory cups of the Shang Dynasty (1600- 1046 B.C.) to Silk Road Buddhist relics unearthed in Xinjiang and Maritime Silk Road relics discovered in underwater archaeological excavations in Pingtan County, Fujian Province, the Chinese Archaeological Museum has tracked the historical footprints of the nation and proved the continuation of the Chinese cultural heritage.
Focusing on showcasing the splendid Chinese civilization, the museum offers over 6,000 exhibits, many of which are archaeological findings and precious ancient books and documents. The exhibition area of the museum covers more than 7,000 square meters across five sections based on the research of several generations of scholars. They are “Origin of Civilization,” “Living in China,” “Unification of the Country,” “Harmony among All Nations,” and “Awakening of the Nation.”
Curved gilt silver spoon with engraved patterns from the Tang Dynasty (618907), unearthed from a Tang tomb in Yanshi District of Luoyang City, Henan Province. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
Uniquely shaped pottery ware with a standing bird on the top from the Dawenkou Culture of the Neolithic Age (4000-2500 B.C.), unearthed from the ruins of Yuchi Temple in Mengcheng County, Anhui Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Academy of History)
White-glazed jar with dragon and phoenix designs from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), unearthed from the site of Dadu, capital of the Yuan Dynasty, in Beijing. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Academy of History)
Pottery sculpture of human face from the Yangshao Culture (49002900 B.C.), unearthed from Beishouling site in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Academy of History)
Dragon-shaped artifact from the Erlitou Culture (1750-1530 B.C.) of the Neolithic Age, unearthed from the Erlitou ruins in Yanshi District of Luoyang City, Henan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Chinese Academy of History)
Exhibits cover various periods from ancient times to modern times, demonstrating the continuity of Chinese civilization. Complex crafts such as ceramics are a microcosm of the innovation of Chinese civilization. The consistent planning and layout of ancient capitals demonstrates the process of the formation and development of a unified multiethnic country. The inherent inclusiveness and peacefulness of the Chinese nation is well documented through cultural relics related to scenarios along the Silk Road. Together, these exhibits with distinctive features compose a broad picture of exchanges and coexistence of different civilizations.
A boy flips through an electronic version of a document with comments by Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735) of the Qing Dynasty. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
High-Tech Immersive Experiences
In the “Origin of Civilization” area, a large-mouth pottery zun (wine vessel) dating back about 4,800 years is placed in a prominent position near the entrance to the museum. The artifact was unearthed in Mengcheng County, Anhui Province. A group of carved symbols on the belly of the piece resemble the sun, moon, and mountain from top to bottom. When visitors simply tap on the glass of the display cabinet, the “sun,” “moon,” and “mountain” on the vessel seem to jump onto the glass. Efforts like these are how the museum is using advanced technology to create enhanced immersive experiences.
With the support of digital technology, the Chinese Archaeological Museum has worked hard to bring cultural relics to life. Usage of video presentation, multimedia interaction, and scene simulation at the exhibition site creates a comprehensive cultural experience for visitors covering visual, auditory, and tactile senses. In the Stone Age exhibition area, interactive videos recreating a scene of stone tool production has proved quite popular. Near the display area of inscriptions on oracle bones, multimedia equipment depicts the process of divination during the Shang Dynasty. Outside the Dingding Gate of Luoyang City during the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, reproduced through 3D modeling, the detail goes as deep as wheel ruts and camel footprints. These interactive and immersive experiences thrust visitors directly into historical scenes, giving them a deeper understanding of history.
Visitors in front of an exhibition wall with a painted dragon pattern on a ceramic plate as the background. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
The exhibition enhances the visitor experience through multimedia interaction and other methods. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
Figurines from the Ming Dynasty (13681644), unearthed from the tomb of Zhu Yuelian, the prince of the Shu Kingdom in the Ming Dynasty, at Fenghuang Mountain in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
Recreation of Archaeological Scenes
The Chinese Archaeological Museum is a public museum which also serves archaeological research. In terms of display arrangement, quite a few designs are related to archaeology.
The two Shang Dynasty chariots placed on both sides of the museum’s “Avenue of History” are the oldest horse-drawn carriages discovered in China so far. The two vehicles were relocated from the World Heritage site Yin Xu (or the Yin Ruins), which boasts archaeological remnants of the ancient city of Yin, the last capital of the Shang Dynasty. Archaeologists placed each whole chariot in a huge box and transferred them to the museum where long-term archaeological research has been conducted in a laboratory.
Moving a single artifact as a whole in one box is an important archaeological method. Archaeological field work is subject to constraints of weather, environment, and other uncontrollable conditions, making detailed excavations more difficult to carry out. When cultural relics are transported to a laboratory for processing, archaeological work can be more thorough and accurate. To enhance the visiting experience, the museum set up an interactive zone where visitors can touch fragments of pottery from thousands of years ago in the display boxes, experiencing the work of archaeologists.
Bronze wares of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.), unearthed at Zhangjiapo in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
A chariot of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 B.C.), unearthed from the Yin Ruins in Anyang City, Henan Province. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
The Chinese Archaeological Museum adopts a “warehouse style” to display its exhibits, which are categorized into the three groups of historical sites, relics, and tombs. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
A replica of a stratigraphic section in field archaeological excavations. (Photo by Guo Shasha/China Pictorial)
The museum mainly adopts a “warehouse style” to display its exhibits. It categorized exhibits into the three groups of historical sites, relics, and tombs, which reflects the distinctive disciplinary characteristics of archaeology.
“Archaeological research is a holistic examination of a group of relics and artifacts with common characteristics that are distributed in a certain area within a certain period of time,” says Gong Wen, director of the Chinese Archaeological Museum. “The research is conducted in accordance with archaeological culture, focusing on categories and types of relics and artifacts rather than studying individual artifacts with an appreciative spirit.” Gong added that such disciplinary characteristics guided the museum to avoid displaying exhibits as isolated cultural relics and instead organizing exhibitions based on archaeological culture and major archaeological sites.
