Ti Gong
Famous calligraphy works are on display to showcase the beauty of Chinese writing.
An exhibition about the history and development of Chinese characters opened to the public free at the Fengxian Museum on Friday.
About 190 cultural relics, all key collections from 26 museums in 11 provinces and cities across China, are on display at the exhibition, showcasing the profound cultural heritage and beauty of Chinese characters.
Visitors are guided to explore the root of the Chinese cultures through historic bronze wares, potteries, stone tools, bone wares, porcelain, calligraphy and paintings as well as bamboo and wood carvings.
The exhibition covers the origin, beauty, strength and fun of Chinese characters with both the artifacts and multimedia shows and performances.
Key exhibits include a dragon-pattern bronze wine pot dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), which has been publicized for the first time in Shanghai. The 450 characters inscribed on the pot are dubbed the most beautiful ancient Chinese characters known as Zhongshan Zhuan.
Ti Gong
A visitor takes a photo of the dragon-pattern bronze wine pot dating back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
Oracle bone inscriptions were first discovered in 1899 by Beijing academic and antiquarian Wang Yirong, although farmers had been unearthing the relics in Anyang, central Henan Province, for many years. Wang noticed symbols that looked like writing on animal bones and tortoise shells.
The astonishing find resulted in the identification of the earliest known Chinese writing.
The tortoise shells and bones bear testament to the development of one of the world’s oldest writing systems, ancient beliefs and social systems, according to UNESCO.
Eight original oracle bones collected by Wang are on display at the exhibition. The precious bones dating back to the Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC) were used for divination for the royal family.
The original collections of China’s earliest bronze seal in the Shang Dynasty and earliest stone carving are also being exhibited.
The museum, opened in 2019, aiming to become a cultural landmark on Shanghai’s southern outskirts which has long lacked a major museum.
Its previous exhibition about the new discoveries unearthed during an ongoing excavation at the Sanxingdui ruins site in China’s southwest Sichuan Province last year attracted a large flock of visitors.
Ti Gong
A visitor observes a piece of oracle bone collected by Wang Yirong, who first discovered the oracles.
If you go:
Dates: May 26-October 8
Admission: Free (no reservation is required)
Site: Fengxian Museum
Address: 333 Hupan Road
Ti Gong
Visitors take photos of bronze pots being displayed at the exhibition.
