Foreigners immersed in China's past at early civilization exhibition
A docent (center) at Shanghai Museum explains the exhibition "The Making of China: the Civilizations of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties" to the visitors.
Expats visit the exhibition at Shanghai Museum on Monday.
Shanghai Museum welcomed a special group of visitors earlier this week. More than 40 students from six universities in Shanghai and 30 expats learned about the origins of Chinese civilization during their trip.
When Pilar Mejia Buenfil saw a wine vessel of the Late Western Zhou (9th century-771BC) Dynasty with the phoenix pattern, she was too captivated to walk away.
"The shape is different from the others, and the color is different, too. That's why it stood out for me," the Mexican national explained.
The exhibit that enchanted her is part of a major exhibition, "The Making of China: the Civilizations of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties," currently on at the museum.
Mexico's Pilar Mejia Buenfil photographs the exhibits.
The exhibition features nearly 220 artifacts from about 90 archeological sites, 67 of which are first-grade national treasures. The collections are on display at the museum until October 23.
Mejia Buenfil arrived in Shanghai six years ago. She is currently pursuing a PhD in art theory at Shanghai University. Having majored in Chinese history, she said that understanding Chinese history and culture from so long ago was not particularly difficult for her.
"I think for Mexicans, China is still a little bit unknown for many people because they think it is complicated. The language and the culture. But I think right now it's getting more popular among the younger generations," she pointed out.
Valeryia Sazanava, a master's student of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Media and Communication, has a much deeper understanding of Chinese history and culture.
Sazanava moved to China from Belarus five years ago. Her fascination with China began as a child when she first heard stories about Chinese mythology. "These stories were very different from those in my country," she explained. "So they aroused my interest in China and its history."
Wu Zaijun, a docent at Shanghai Museum, told Shanghai Daily that she simplifies the explanation about the collections in terms of specific dates and sites of excavations to make them more accessible for foreigners.
She hadn't anticipated that many expats would be genuinely interested, obviously underestimating their grounding in Chinese culture.
Nusrat Marat, an Australian expat, looks at an ancient set of musical instruments from the Mid Spring and Autumn (670-571BC) period.
Nusrat Marat, 68, is the vice general manager of LAN SERVICE, an IT service company based in Changning District. He moved to Shanghai from Australia over a decade ago and speaks fluent Chinese.
It was his first visit to the museum since the city's nearly two-month COVID-19 lockdown was lifted in early June. "By visiting the museum, I feel like life is slowly returning to normal," he said.
On seeing a poster about Ding, an ancient food container, at the exhibition, he exclaimed, "The shape of this is very similar to the Chinese word Ding (鼎). Chinese culture is truly fascinating."
Of all the exhibits, Marat's favorite was a set of musical instruments from the Mid Spring and Autumn (670-571BC) period. He said that while the culture and history depicted in many exhibits may be difficult to comprehend, music transcends national borders and could be savored by all.
He also enjoyed some of the smaller exhibits. "It gives me the impression that there are many stories behind them, and it allows me to imagine."
