Shanghai to host Han Dynasty exhibition

In what is being hailed as the most significant off-site exhibition of Mawangdui artifacts in over 50 years, Shanghai is set to host a landmark showcase of Han Dynasty luxury and aesthetics.

Entitled A House of Nobility: Aesthetics and Cultivation of Life in the Mawangdui Tombs, the exhibition will run from July 3 to Oct 7 at the China Art Museum, Shanghai (Shanghai Art Museum).

Discovered in Hunan province, the Mawangdui tombs belong to Li Cang, chancellor of the Changsha Kingdom, his wife Xin Zhui, and their son Lixi. Since excavations began in 1972 — highlighted by the extremely well preserved remains of Lady Xin Zhui — the site has remained a cornerstone of archaeological study.

"Over 50 years later, Mawangdui continues to yield new discoveries," said Yu Yanjiao, director of the Mawangdui Research Institute.

"We aim to facilitate a dialogue across time and space between the public and Han civilization."

The exhibition brings together 472 pieces across 195 sets of artifacts, including 31 sets of Grade-One national treasures. It marks the first provincial off-site display of a series of cultural relics that are deemed forbidden-to-export by the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China.

Two T-Shaped Silk Paintings, which are iconic works visualizing the Han cosmos, will be shown in a rare relay format: the one from Tomb No.1 will be on display from Jul 3 to Aug 16, and the painting from Tomb No.3 will be shown from Aug 18 to Oct 7.

The "Riding Clouds" Seat Cushion will make its first public showcase at the exhibition. It is the earliest known silk seat cushion, previously misidentified as a pillow towel.

Other highlights include the earliest three-color overprinted textiles and fragments of a silk robe inscribed with the auspicious phrase "Peace, Joy, Longevity, and Infinity".

Curator Xiang Liping said at a press conference on June that the exhibition moves beyond static displays. Through three chapters and a reconstructed lifestyle zone — featuring Lady Xin Zhui's "gym" based on the Daoyin exercise chart and her husband's administrative hall — visitors can immerse themselves in the ancient pursuit of virtue and life.

caption: pic 1-3, Some of the exhibit objects for the upcoming A House of Nobility: Aesthetics and Cultivation of Life in the Mawangdui Tombs.

IMG-0290.jpg: Xiang Liping, curator of the exhibition, introduces the exhibition to the media on June 2.