From November 2 to 7, the exhibition “Glories of the Jingchu Civilization: Exhibition of Archaeological Treasures Excavated in Hubei, China” will be held at the Botany Library in Auckland, New Zealand. This exhibition is guided by the Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (Hubei Provincial Cultural Heritage Bureau), hosted by the Hubei Provincial Museum, and supported by the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center and the Auckland Chinese Culture Centre.
As an important part of time-honored Chinese civilization, Jing-chu culture holds a pivotal position in the country’s civilizational development. Through cultural relics unearthed in Hubei, the exhibition showcases the region’s rich heritage and its enduring significance in Chinese civilization.
The exhibition encompasses four sections: “Origin of Humanity”, “Dawn of Civilization”, “Jing-Chu in the Zhou Dynasty”, and “Cultural Exchange”. The “Origin of Humanity” section focuses on the skull fossils of Yunxian Man, which provide solid evidence of over one million years of human history in China. The “Dawn of Civilization” section features the “Sun Man” stone carving—China’s earliest known depiction of sun worship—along with the earliest stone human statues discovered in southern China. It also presents typical jade and bronze artifacts unearthed from the Neolithic Shijiahe Ancient City and the Shang Dynasty Panlongcheng Site. The “Jing-Chu in the Zhou Dynasty” section showcases the ritual and musical civilizations of the Zeng and Chu states through bronze objects, lacquerware and jade artifacts excavated from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng and the tombs at Yejiashan, Tianxingguan, and Jiuliandun. The “Cultural Exchange” section displays cultural relics unearthed in Hubei that reflect exchanges along the ancient Maritime Silk Road, including gold ingots and gemstone belts from the Tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang.
The exhibition is presented in the form of photo displays. After its showing at this library, it will go on a tour across Auckland.
