China, with the world's biggest population and a wide area, boasts a civilization of 5,000 years. The Exhibition of Chinese Cultural Replicas displays replicas of quintessential Chinese cultural relics from the history of Chinese civilization.
Developed between 5000 and 3000BC, the hand-made painted pottery of the Yangshao Culture in the Yellow River Valley and the jade-making craftsmanship of the Liangzhu Culture in the Yangtze River Valley offer the roots of China's civilization to visitors. Around 2200 BC, China began to establish its central political power - the Xia -- the first slave dynasty in Chinese history. After that, the Yin Shang civilization, which featured a highly advanced bronze-casting technique, big cities and a sophisticated character system, saw a boom in China.
The Chinese Bronze Age lasted for more than 2,000 years from the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC) to the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220). During this period, skillful craftsmen created many magnificent bronze art treasures in various forms. More than 10,000 pieces of bronze ware handed down from ancient times are the results of the wisdom and hard work of Chinese artists and working people. These gems are unparalleled in the world's bronze culture.
The establishment of a unified multi-national China in the third century BC indicated that scattered regional cultures began to merge into a unified Chinese culture.
The Terra-Cotta Army of the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), known as the Eighth Wonder of the World, is awe-inspiring and sturdy, and the bronze ware, pottery sculptures and jade ware are splendid articles of a divine nature.
Following the Han Dynasty, Indian Buddhist art was introduced to China via the western regions. As it prospered in China, the unprecedented success of the Silk Road promoted exchanges between China and western countries. Buddhist sculptures and murals represented by the Mogao Grottoes show the convergence of Chinese and western cultures and are examples of a precious historical and cultural heritage that belongs to the whole world.
The fourth to ninth century AD was a period of great convergence of Chinese nationalities and a golden time for Sino-foreign cultural exchanges and productivity development. The Tang tri-colored glazed pottery, stone sculptures and gold and silver ware made by artists and artisans of the time have reached a very high artistic level.
After the 10th century, pottery making and calcining techniques were greatly developed and paintings and calligraphic works influenced art creations of later generations.
Although the dozens of cultural relics on display here are only a small part of the art works of Chinese civilization, they provide a good chance for visitors to learn about Chinese history and culture.
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