Henan Museum

A poem by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, included in the "Three Hundred Tang Poems," is a testament to his virtue and wisdom. "What was the Master like? He toiled for generations. The land is still the town of Zou, his residence the palace of the King of Lu. He lamented the phoenix's fate, grieved the unicorn's decline, and lamented the impoverished path of the Way. Now, seeing the offerings at the two pillars, it feels just like the dream I had." This poem by Emperor Xuanzong is quite good (he also annotated the *Classic of Filial Piety*, was not only a talented singer and dancer and the founder of the Pear Garden, but also truly multi-talented...). The special exhibition on Confucius's "Journey of Promoting the Way" at the Henan Museum features a plaque reconstructed from the Confucius Temple and Confucian Mansion, giving one the feeling of being among the "Three Confucian Sites," immediately bringing to mind Emperor Xuanzong's poem... The famous "Ten Offerings of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties" are also here, a gift from Emperor Qianlong, a treasure of the Confucius Mansion. They look very new, with exquisite patterns; it's hard to believe they date back to the Shang and Zhou periods... And there are also many unearthed bamboo slips! At least the Henan Museum itself has almost no exhibits like these… (Perhaps the south is better suited for the preservation of bamboo slips?) There are also many bronze and jade artifacts related to Confucius and the various states, showcasing Confucius's vision of a land of rites and music. There are chime bells (Confucius heard the Shao music in Qi and forgot the taste of meat for three months), jade pendants (a gentleman compares his virtue to jade), and many bronze artifacts from various states with inscriptions (several of which were exhibited in "Six Hundred Years of the State of Cai"). I also saw the small jade deer and the jade ring and cicada next to it, and the bronze pot on top, which I had seen in Zhumadian before, and now I see them again…

Confucius traveled throughout the states, visiting so many countries, yet he never left Henan… The exhibition features many precious cultural relics, including the "Illustrations of Sacred Sites" from the Confucius Mansion collection and the Ten Offerings of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties bestowed by Emperor Qianlong. There are also many interesting animations and comics (but it seems there aren't any particularly creative cultural products yet?). It's a truly worthwhile exhibition! And it's free! Besides the actual artifacts, there are many pictures of artifacts and explanations of historical events. There are also educational tours (they're fantastic!), with both paid and free guided tours to choose from! You can see the original version of the classic portrait of Confucius! (I think every primary and secondary school has this portrait.) Combining the history and culture of various states during the Spring and Autumn Period, it's truly a cultural pilgrimage! (Why doesn't the Zhenwei Water City collaborate with this…? It's a Spring and Autumn Period themed exhibition, plus Confucius actually visited the State of Zheng, and so many places in Henan bear his footprints. Museums and cultural tourism sites across the region should definitely collaborate!)

Our visit to the Henan Museum was exceptionally enriching, far exceeding our expectations, thanks to the professional explanations of our guide, Yue Liang. Her profound understanding of the historical background and cultural value of the museum's artifacts was remarkable. From the decorative motifs of Shang and Zhou bronze ritual vessels to the firing techniques of Tang and Song ceramics, her explanations were logically clear and well-balanced, always managing to bring the stories behind the static exhibits to life with vivid language. It was her professionalism and enthusiasm that allowed us to deeply appreciate the rich cultural heritage of the Central Plains, adding many unforgettable moments to our museum visit. She deserves high praise and recognition!

Brick carvings of Xiuding Temple Pagoda (rare to see, many have been lost overseas, this treasure in Henan Museum is that the death lighting is not good for photography... The pagoda is in Anyang, and it is said that it is used as a prototype in Black Myth Wukong... The brick carvings on it are extremely exquisite. Can we work with Anyang to make a replica or VR...) Exquisite Buddha statues, including Buddha statues unearthed from the site of Dahai Temple in Xingyang. It is said that Dahai Temple was originally built by Li Yuan and was named for its large scale like the sea. Unfortunately, we can only imagine its former glory from the unearthed cultural relics now White glazed lotus lamp, unique shape, a same style cultural and creative refrigerator magnet will light up Yuan Jie tombstone, written by Yan Zhenqing, the original stele is in Lushan County, the photos exhibited in Henan Museum are really a bit difficult to see... The rubbings were taken by Pingdingshan Museum (now a branch of Henan Museum...), and they look much clearer. Steles written by Yan Zhenqing are also rare, and should be carefully observed. "Three Hundred Tang Poems" includes two poems by Yuan Jie, one is "Song of Drunkenness on Shiyu Lake" and the other is "Showing Officials After the Bandits Retreat", which gives us an idea of ​​his character. Song of Drunkenness on Shiyu Lake Mansou brewed wine with public rice. When he had time off, he carried wine on the lake and got drunk from time to time. In his drunkenness, he sat on the lakeshore, stretched out his arm to fish for wine, and asked the boat to carry it to everyone sitting there. It seemed that he was leaning on Baqiu and drinking on Junshan Mountain. The disciples sat around Dongting Lake, and the wine boat was floating on the waves. Those who came and went made songs to prolong the time. Shiyu Lake is like Dongting Lake. In summer, the water is about to fill Junshan Mountain with green. The mountain is a jar, the water is a swamp, and the drunkards sit on the islands. The long wind has made big waves for days, but it cannot stop people from transporting the wine boat. I sat on Baqiu with a long gourd, pouring wine to the four people to dispel my sorrow. The bandits retreated and showed it to the officials In the year of Guimao, the bandits from Xiyuan entered Daozhou, burned, killed and looted, and almost left. The next year, the bandits attacked Yong and broke Shao again, but did not invade the border of this state and retreated. How could we defeat the enemy? It was probably because they were hurt and pitied. Why did the envoys endure the hardship of collecting taxes, so I wrote a poem to show it to the officials. In the past, there was peace, and the mountains and forests had been there for twenty years. Springs were in the courtyards and caves were in front of the door. The well tax had a regular period, and I could still sleep late in the day. Suddenly, the world changed, and I fought in the war for several years. Now I come to govern this county, and the mountain barbarians are in chaos again. The bandits in the city are not slaughtered, and the poor people are pitiful. Therefore, this state is the only one that has been intact among the neighboring territories. The envoys conveyed the king's orders, aren't they worse than the bandits? Now those who collect taxes are pressing them like fire. Who can kill people and become a wise man of the time! I want to throw away the seals and seals, and draw the pole to stab the boat myself. I will go back home to fish and wheat and return to my hometown by the river.

First, let's distinguish the difference between museums and museums: There are obvious differences between museums and museums in terms of function, scale, and development history. A museum is usually a large, comprehensive cultural institution that aims to collect, preserve, display and study various types of cultural relics and specimens, including natural history, human history, art, and technology. A museum is usually an institution that focuses on a specific field or theme, such as history, art, natural history or technology, and is relatively small in scale. In addition, the origins and development history of museums and museums are also different. Museums are usually established by governments or public institutions to provide educational and entertainment services to the public. Museums are usually established by private or specific organizations to display content in specific fields or themes. The layout of the courtyard is very clear, and the exhibition rooms are closely connected. The viewing is smooth and it takes 3 hours to complete the exhibition.

Henan Museum is considered to be one of the best provincial museums in China. The most distinctive cultural relics in the museum are prehistoric cultural relics, bronze wares from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, ceramic wares from various dynasties, jade wares, stone carvings, etc. There are many fine cultural relics with various types and high quality, most of which come from archaeological excavations in Henan and other places in the early 20th century, and have extremely high historical, cultural and artistic value.

Henan Museum's "Jade Mirror Ancient Country" Hongshan Liangzhu Cultural Exhibition Study Activity is great value! Adults and children can also do handicrafts. There are beautiful ladies explaining the Hongshan Liangzhu Special Exhibition and the jade artifacts in the Western Zhou and Eastern Zhou exhibition halls, and you can experience the different styles of jade artifacts in the north, south and Central Plains. Hongshan has beautiful green jade artifacts and cloud-patterned jade pendants, and there is a restoration of the Hongshan goddess statue scene. The exquisite lines on the Liangzhu jade artifacts are amazing! Of course, the exhibits of Henan Museum itself are even more shocking!

Henan Museum is located in the middle section of Nongye Road, Zhengzhou City. The building is magnificent and magnificent. It is based on the ancient observatory of the Yuan Dynasty. It has a unique shape and is full of historical weight. Walking into the museum, it feels like being in a huge historical and cultural treasure house. The museum's exhibits are rich and diverse, covering all kinds of cultural relics from prehistoric times to modern times. Among them, the basic display "The Great China Selected the Central Plains to Build the Capital" takes the history of the capital in the Central Plains as the main line and shows the development trajectory of Chinese civilization. A large number of precious cultural relics such as bronzes, ceramics, and jades are displayed in the exhibition hall, and each one is amazing. I was particularly attracted by the "Lotus and Crane Square Pot", which has exquisite shape and exquisite craftsmanship. It is a fine bronze ware from the Spring and Autumn Period. In addition to the basic display, the museum also has many special exhibitions. For example, "Danxi Jijin-Bronze Art of the Chu State in the Central Plains" shows the unique charm of Chu bronzes; "Ancient Stone Carving Art Exhibition in the Central Plains" allows me to appreciate the exquisite skills of ancient stone carving art. During the visit, I rented an interpreter, which gave me a deeper understanding of the stories behind each cultural relic. There are also social education experience halls and Chinese ancient music halls in the museum, where you can experience ancient technology and enjoy ancient music performances, making people feel like they have traveled back to ancient times. Henan Museum is not only a place to display cultural relics, but also a window for people to deeply understand the Central Plains culture and Chinese civilization. Here, I felt the weight of history and the charm of culture, and gained a lot.