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Stars over China: The Ancient Shu Civilization of Sanxingdui and Jinsha

Date：2024-02-02 - 2024-05-20
Location：Shanghai Museum East, Bright Dairy & Food Exhibition Gallery 1 and Exhibition Gallery 2

Overview

"You dwell near the Yangtze River's head, while I, its tail." The Yangtze River has fostered a millennium-old cultural heritage spanning from the mountains and rivers in the Ba-Shu region to the water towns of Jiangnan. Indeed, as one of the symbols of the Chinese nation, the long river has been playing a vital role in the inception, formation, and evolution of the Chinese civilization. Located in the upper reaches of the Yangtze, the Chengdu Plain is renowned as the Heaven on Earth. Its beautiful rivers and mountains have nurtured generations of talented people. In the Yangtze's lower reaches, Shanghai stands as a great socialist cosmopolis with global influence, cultural diversity, and social inclusiveness. These two regions, closely connected by the long river, serve as cradles of splendid civilizations, ancient and modern, and bear significant testimony to China's unity in diversity.

The archaeological finds at the Sanxingdui and Jinsha sites have astounded the world: the ancient Shu civilization is so enigmatically captivating. These discoveries reveal similarities between the cultural phenomena and artifacts of the two sites, meaning that both of them were centers of the ancient Shu kingdom. The significant finds have lifted the veil over the history of ancient Shu. Besides, they have underscored the status of ancient Shu as a distinct regional culture of China, characterized by prominent local traits and salient cultural features. Moreover, the fact that the ancient Shu civilization had cultural exchanges and interactions at various levels with the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River and with the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River showcases the civilization's open-mindedness and progressiveness.

Cultural relics embody splendid civilizations, carry the weight of history and culture, and uphold the national ethos. This occasion marks not only the third of "The Essence of China," an exhibition series of cultural relics and archaeological achievements launched by the Shanghai Museum but also the grand opening of the Shanghai Museum East. Through collaboration with twelve museums and archaeological institutions from Sichuan Province, as well as sixteen from other regions across China, we have curated a collection of 363 artifacts for this enthralling show, offering our visitors an immersive journey into China's gorgeous past. These artifacts provide compelling archaeological evidence for the theory of unity in diversity of the Chinese civilization and for the mutual influence between the ancient Shu civilization and the Central Plains civilization.

As the poem runs, "The moon is bright; the stars all shine." What we are here to see is how the galaxy of regional civilizations cast their eternal light on the great land of China.

Highlights