On December 28th, the “Jade Soul – Ancient Chinese Jade Culture Exhibition” opened at the Changsha Museum, showcasing a total of 410 exquisite jade artifacts, divided into four major parts: the Neolithic Age, Xia, Shang, and Western Zhou Dynasties, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, and Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, presenting China’s nearly 9000 year history of jade culture.
The exhibition, in chronological order, gathers 410 pieces (sets) of jade artifacts from 8 cultural and museum institutions, including Changsha Museum, Hunan Provincial Museum, and Chongqing Three Gorges Museum of China. It is divided into four units: “using jade to serve gods”, “using jade to carry gifts”, “using jade to compare virtue”, and “using jade to nourish nature”, reflecting the origin of jade artifacts in the Neolithic Age – as decorations and production tools, later transformed into communication between gods, humans, and spiritual objects; During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, jade became a symbol of royal power and an important carrier of the national etiquette system, and the ritual jade system gradually improved; During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, jade artifacts were personified by Confucianism and endowed with moral connotations, further perfecting the connotation of jade virtue; After experiencing social turmoil during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, jade artifacts broke free from the constraints of ritual and entered the process of secular fireworks.
The exhibits include not only jade pendants symbolizing status and power, jade plaques representing fangs and representing primitive religious beliefs, unique and exquisitely crafted Nanyang Xiaxiangpu jade pendants, Li County Xinzhou M1 jade pendants used for stepping and showcasing identity, jade sword decorations reflecting the noble demeanor of a gentleman, but also auspicious jade pendants such as broken branch peony patterned jade belt buckles, Lingzhi style jade ruyi, and lock shaped jade pendants that symbolize good wishes, Most of these cultural relics are being exhibited to the public for the first time.
Curator Yu Yanjiao stated that this exhibition takes the cultural connotations and social values reflected in Chinese jade as the narrative subject, thereby showcasing the characteristics of sanctification, etiquette, morality, and aesthetics presented in the development process of Chinese jade, reflecting the unique Chinese jade culture. She hopes that the audience can experience the profoundness and vastness of ancient Chinese jade culture through this exhibition.
This exhibition is a cross year original exhibition of Changsha Museum, which will continue until April 5, 2022 (closed on Mondays, excluding national statutory holidays) and is open to the public for free. During the exhibition, expert lectures, art education workshops, interactive observation experiences, and other activities will be held to lead the audience to appreciate the aesthetic significance of jade artifacts and understand the status and rich connotations of jade culture in China’s excellent traditional culture. (Wan Guozhen)