As Liangzhu Ancient City archaeological site was inscribed onto the World Heritage List, a special exhibition of “Liangzhu & Ancient China - the 5,000-year Chinese civilization manifested by jade wares” will be held at Wuying Palace of the Palace Museum in Beijing on July 16. Liangzhu jade wares with a history of five thousand years will debut in the Palace Museum.

It will be an integrated exhibition of Liangzhu Culture based on jade ware in the exhibition history of Liangzhu as well as the largest exhibition of Liangzhu jade ware to date.

All jade wares unearthed from No. 12 tomb of Fanshan Mountain and No. 11 tomb of Yaoshan Mountain, two tombs at the king and queen level will be exhibited, amounting to 119 pieces (sets). It will be the first time in the exhibition history of Liangzhu culture to exhibit the jade wares of the supreme ruler of Liangzhu society as a whole.

The exhibition has two highlights. First, it will be a complete exhibition of the jade wares unearthed from Fanshan and Yaoshan ruins. Second, it will be a collection of the quintessence of Liangzhu jade wares from different areas and regions of the country. Apart from the jade wares from Zhejiang Province, it also displays the jade wares from eight provinces and municipalities.

260 pieces (sets) of jade wares related with or influenced by Liangzhu culture and jade wares imitating the Liangzhu style dating to later dynasties such as Shang and Zhou dynasties and Han dynasty have been collected from 17 organizations.

The exhibition will also present the pattern and building process of Liangzhu Ancient City as well as the archaeological history, protection and management of Liangzhu in various forms such as film, model and 3D printing.

“The special exhibition of Liangzhu Culture in the Palace Museum is of special historical significance and contemporary values for promoting and spreading the heritage value of Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City worldwide, tracing the historical origin of Chinese civilization, building an identification system of Chinese civilization, and strengthening the cultural confidence of Chinese people,” said Zhou Liming, Chief Curator of Liangzhu Museum.

Other than the main hall, the side chambers will exhibit the 80-year archaeological history of Liangzhu and its protection and management over the years. In the side room of Wuying Palace, you can find special cultural creativity products of Liangzhu. Other than the exhibition held in the Palace Museum from July to October, another exhibition will also be staged in sync, which is the “Exhibition of Boutique Jade ware of Qing Dynasty collected in the Palace Museum” to be held in Liangzhu Museum from August to October.

(Executive Editor: Yongliu He)