Exhibits from prehistory to Qing Dynasty highlight Hangzhou's intangible assets
What kind of Neolithic lifestyle did our ancestors lead in Hangzhou? Which constellations were visible to them millennia ago? If these issues are on your mind, don't miss the exhibition that is on display at the Hangzhou Museum through August 19.
A comprehensive view of Hangzhou from prehistory to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) can be seen through 79 antiquities on loan from 45 museums and galleries.
The 30-year-old caveman's displayed tooth is thought to be the oldest ever discovered in Zhejiang Province. In 1974, paleontologists found it in a cave in Jiande County, Hangzhou. Experts estimated its age to be 50,000 years old in the 1970s.
As science advanced, the tooth's dating from 100,000 years ago was ultimately confirmed by examination using the uranium-series component dating method. It demonstrates that humans have been here since the Paleolithic era, completing Zhejiang's prehistoric past and enriching the Homo Sapiens population in China. The man was known to paleontologists as Jianderen, which is short for Jiande man.
Following countless years of growth, prehistoric inhabitants in this region progressively built civilization during the Neolithic era, establishing their own totems and belief system.
Jianderen's tooth
About 5,000 years ago, the nucleus of the Liangzhu Civilization was situated near Hangzhou's Yuhang District. The civilization flourished in the current Yangtze River Delta region.
Liangzhu was an early regional state with an urban civilization of intricate structures and functions, centered on rice-based agriculture and a single system of belief. Liangzhu is synonymous with jade, and its workmanship is regarded as the Chinese Neolithic jade masters' art.
The exhibit features a jade object called a yuyue, shaped as an axe, that was used as a scepter to call in armies and represented the pinnacle of military might. Historians assert that the Chinese character 王, which originated from the yuyue pictograph, literally means "king."
Yuyue
For over eight decades, archeologists have been excavating in Liangzhu State. Numerous jade artifacts have been discovered inside ceremonial relics and tombs. It was divided into social classes, with the best articles only found in the elite's tombs.
The region that is now Hangzhou has been the hub of the pottery and ceramics industry for thousands of years. As early as the Shang (c. 16th–11th century BC) and Zhou (c. 11th–770 BC) dynasties, patterned pottery pieces were produced on a huge scale for both everyday usage and ceremonial purposes before the smooth porcelains were fired.
Simple-patterned Shang Dynasty pottery, with its rough surface and uncomplicated designs, is the pinnacle of primordial porcelain. The glazed coating was too thin to acquire a smooth, translucent finish because of the inexperienced fire procedures.
The world's first porcelain kiln was constructed in what is now Zhejiang Province during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25–220), marking the last breakthrough. Subsequently, several folk and imperial kilns were built all around the province, transforming Zhejiang into a major hub for the manufacturing of highly sought-after porcelain goods.
Shang Dynasty pottery
Constellation tablet
Ancient people began to develop astronomy in addition to other skills. The 4-meter-long and 2.7-meter-wide stone tablet on display was discovered in the tomb of Wuyue Kingdom's Wenmu King (AD 907-978). It catalogs more than 180 stars and uses lines to connect the stars to represent each constellation. The stone tablet is said to be among the world's first constellation charts, reflecting the degree of celestial observation that existed a millennium ago.
The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) of the Zhejiang government promotes the construction of museums in rural areas and subdistricts as a means of enhancing the cultural lives of the populace and safeguarding intangible assets centered in villages. In Zhejiang, so far, around 220 rural museums have received approval. They explored archives and displayed a multitude of collections across the province.
Some of the antiques they had gathered were on display for the public. The Southern Song Dynasty Currency Museum is in the Xiaoying Lane subdistrict and mostly exhibits Song Dynasty (960-1279) coins and paper money.
A type of banknote used during the Song Dynasty was called jiaozi (交子). According to most numismatists, it was the world's first paper money. Huizi (会子) is another paper money that the royal court printed after raising cash in Hangzhou. A folded piece of gold paper, which was also used as money, is on display for visitors.
If you go
Date: Through August 19 (closed on Tuesdays), 9am-4:30pm
Address:18 Liangdaoshan Rd
粮道山18号
