Cultural traditions stand the test of time

Wang Yujie a designer of the exhibition's layout says red and yellow wallpaper were picked to go with the objects on show to "give people a vivid feeling as if they were in a classic civil dwelling found in southern Fujian and Taiwan, the red bricks and roof ridges with both ends pointing upward".

She says that was done to "create an atmosphere of home, which is of importance to the Chinese" and where the warmth and sense of belonging will unite members of the same family.

The long history of China has witnessed several relocations of massive populations from the Zhongyuan region, in today's Central China, to then less-developed southern area, which took place amid wars and social chaos. The exhibition traces the history of one that happened in the declining time of the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316), when battles between the ruling parties and constant revolts forced people — among them were those from the elite class such as the scholar-bureaucrats — to flee southward to safer and more stable settlements. A destination was Min, which is known as Fujian today.