The new exhibition building of Hunan Provincial Museum is simple in form but marked for its magnificent grandeur. The multi-functional and well equipped building shows six permanent exhibitions and many temporary exhibitions.
The Exhibition of Han Tombs at Mawangdui
The excavation from 1972 to 1974 of three tombs of the Western Han dynasty at Mawangdui in Changsha marks one of the major archaeological discoveries in the twentieth century. Over 3,000 cultural relics and a well-preserved female corpse were unearthed.
Among the uncovered relics are bright-colored lacquer wares representing the highest level of workmanship at that time, fine silks amazingly showing accomplished weaving technique, silk paintings with romantic themes of the Kingdom of Heaven, the craving for eternity, and silk inscriptions demonstrating knowledge and wisdom of the ancient people. The well-preserved female corpse is even a miracle in human antisepsis.
The Exhibition of Calligraphies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Calligraphy in China is an old and unique traditional art. Chinese calligraphy is based on Chinese written characters and gradually develops into a most concentrated aesthetic form of art that provides an understanding of the Chinese culture.
There are a large collection of calligraphy works of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1912) in the museum, especially the works of celebrities from Hunan Province, which show the elegant and distinct demeanor of Hunan calligraphy. The displayed collection of the Ming and Qing Dynasties epitomizes the continuation, innovation and development of calligraphy in Hunan Province along with the other parts of China.
The Exhibition of Paintings Created in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
The history of Chinese painting art runs a long course from a remote source with its unique national style and profound cultural information. Based on the development of the painting art in the Tang and the Song Dynasties (618AD-1279AD), the painting art of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties has a tendency of individuation, and, therefore, various schools of paintings with different styles have appeared. There is a large collection of paintings of the Ming and the Qing Dynasties in this exhibition. Among them, there are works of painters that have never been shown anywhere else in the country, which show the basic development of the painting art and the artistic style of Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Exhibition of Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in Hunan Province
The Exhibition of Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in Hunan Province with 133 artifacts shows the ten new great archaeological discoveries in Hunan Province over the past ten years, among which, eight have been included in Annual Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in China and three have been included in the Hundred Greatest Archaeological Discoveries of the Twentieth Century in China. Furthermore, the excavation of an ancient city site from the Warring States (475BC-221BC) to the Qin(221BC-206BC)and Han (206BC-220AD) Dynasties in Liye of Longshan County has been regarded as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twenty-first century in China. This exhibition shows rich and various aspects of artifacts, including quantity, variety, form, cultural meaning, historical and scientific value and so on.
There are also many national treasures displayed here, which include Coffin with Painted Design on Black Lacquer Coating,which, though has been buried for more than two thousand years, still shines in dazzling colors; the Tang Dynasty Copy of "Lan Ting Xu" (the Brown Silk Paper Scroll), which enables us to know the style of early Tang Dynasty calligraphy while appreciating the artistic beauty of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy; the T-shaped Painting on Silk; the Gauze Gown as well as the Square Bronze Ding with Human Mask Design and Inscriptions of da he.
With a concentration of treasures of cultural relics from the land of Hunan Province, Hunan Provincial Museum paints a panoramic historical picture of Hunan civilization. Serving as an important window to interpret the history and nuances of Hunan culture, it attracts every year hundreds of thousands of visitors from China and abroad.
Admission: free (not open on Monday)
Opening hours: 8:00am-17:45
Tel: (86)731-4535566
Transport: Bus Nos.112 and 136
Website: http://www.hnmuseum.com/hnmuseum/eng