Shanxi show explores millennia of painted pottery art

This summer, visitors to the Shanxi Archaeological Museum in Taiyuan can journey back thousands of years through a special exhibition that explores the origins of painted pottery and the early development of Chinese civilization.

Running through Sept 30, Blossoming in Xiyin: Prehistoric Painted Pottery of the Fenhe River Basin brings together 137 groups of artifacts that trace the evolution of painted pottery in the Fenhe River Basin from roughly 7,000 to 4,000 years ago.

The exhibition marks the centenary of the excavation of the Xiyin site, where archaeologist Li Ji led China's first independently conducted scientific archaeological excavation in 1926, laying the foundation for modern Chinese archaeology. Among the highlights are important discoveries from the third excavation of the site, many of which are being displayed publicly for the first time.

Zheng Yuan, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, says: "The large number of pigment palettes, grinding tools and grindstones discovered in 2025 provides valuable new evidence for studying prehistoric painting techniques."

She says the exhibition also shows painted pottery unearthed across Shanxi during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which offers a comprehensive picture of how painted pottery developed in the Fenhe River Basin over three millennia.

"About 7,000 years ago, communities settled on the loess terraces, shaping clay and extracting minerals to make pigments," says Wu Zhuozhuo, a staff member at the institute. "The open-mouthed, flat-bottomed bowl from the Zaoyuan site in Yicheng county is the earliest painted pottery discovered in Shanxi, distinguished by a broad red band around its rim."

During the Dongzhuang phase of the early Yangshao culture, geometric decoration became increasingly sophisticated, with motifs such as opposing triangles and curved-edged triangular patterns emerging.

Between 6,000 and 5,300 years ago, painted pottery reached its artistic peak. Floral, bird and fish motifs became widespread, reflecting both technical skill and aesthetic refinement. Among the standout pieces is a high-ring basin from the Xiyin site decorated in black, red and white. Another highlight is a fish-patterned basin from the Cuijiahe site in Xiaxian county, featuring two fish joined head to tail in a remarkably lifelike composition — a rare design, Wu says.