NMC preserving outstanding accomplishments of ancient civilization with myriad of precious exhibits

A vital public cultural institution for collecting, researching, exhibiting and interpreting artifacts that embody the revolutionary and traditional culture of China, the National Museum of China is striving to promote Chinese civilization with a strong respect for the past.

Over the past decade, the NMC has seen its collection grow to 1.43 million exhibits, with a well-structured mechanism of acquiring, conserving and researching artifacts that are housed in a world-class, modern building.

After opening its doors 110 years ago, the NMC has strived to protect and manage cultural relics that embody the best of traditional culture of China, while strengthening the research on and utilization of them so that it can bring history and the relics to talk.

The NMC has always valued archaeological work. As early as 1921, the excavation of the ancient Song Dynasty (960-1279) city of Julu in Hebei province began, which was the prelude to the museum's archaeological work.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and especially after the reform and opening-up initiative began in 1978, the NMC's archaeological work progressed rapidly. The focus was initially on field archaeology, but it later shifted to the pioneering areas of underwater, remote sensing, and aerial photography archaeology, with the establishment of dedicated institutions.

Over the past century, the NMC has organized or participated in about 70 archaeological excavations and surveys, ranging from Paleolithic archaeological sites to an underwater Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) shipwreck.

The treasures in the collection of the NMC showcase the brilliance of human culture and tell stories from across time.

These include the earliest evidence of the use of fire discovered at the Zhoukoudian site in Beijing; the pig-shaped pottery vessel of gui of the Dawenkou culture (6500-4500 BC) from Shandong province; the late Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC) oracle bone with an inscription of king's order on collective farming; and the water container called Guo Ji Zi Bai bronze pan dating to the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC) unearthed in Baoji, Shaanxi province, to just name a few.

To preserve these artifacts of Chinese civilization, the museum set up the NMC Institute of Conservation, which employs a combination of technical methods and traditional crafts to preserve and restore cultural relics in the museum's collection.

The exhibition halls of the NMC contain artifacts from all regions in China that attest to the varied origins of Chinese civilization.

In the museum, A jade cong — an item used in rituals — of the Liangzhu culture (3300-2300 BC) is the tallest of its kind in China. The sun and moon pattern inscribed on it is the same as that used by the Dawenkou culture on sacrificial pottery, which is evidence of exchanges between and the integration of Liangzhu culture in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in southern China with the Neolithic culture in Shandong province in northern China.

The genetic code of Chinese civilization is embedded in its cultural treasures. In the museum's ancient China display, the Houmuwu square cauldron — a food container — dating to the Shang Dynasty is the largest and heaviest piece of ancient Chinese bronzeware ever excavated. It weighs more than 832 kilograms, and its unique artistry, decoration and casting reflect the highly developed bronze culture of the period. The Da Yu tripod is a valuable piece dating to the Western Zhou Dynasty. It is precious for the insight it provides into the feudal system of the period and the relationship between the kings of Zhou and their vassals. The 291-character inscription on the tripod records King Kang of Zhou awarding a title to Yu — the maker of the tripod — and describes lessons from the reigns of early kings of the Western Zhou Dynasty who ruled diligently, as well as from the Shang Dynasty bureaucrats who lost their state due to their indulgence in alcohol.

In recent years, the NMC has committed itself to becoming a smart museum that organically combines ancient Chinese culture with modern technology, such as promoting cloud services and developing online exhibitions. Its cloud-based museum features 56 virtual exhibition halls, 100 webpages on exhibitions, and more than 50 short videos, which have made cultural relics and special exhibitions accessible to millions of people from the comfort of their own homes.

The NMC is striving to improve its educational value. To cater to the interests of different groups, the museum offers a range of docents, including full-time, volunteer, diplomatic, and specialist docents, as well as smart tour guides, and the online ancient China exhibition offers different audio guides for children, teenagers and adults.

Focusing on the educational role of cultural relics, there are books and animated videos such as the History Encyclopedia Picture Book for Children and Oracle Bone Inscription Mystery Tour, which have proved to be popular additions. The museum is expanding cooperation with schools and has developed a series of books and courses in collaboration with Beijing primary and secondary schools to promote traditional Chinese culture in classrooms.