The Bright Name Card of Ancient City Jingzhou: One of the First Batch of National First-Class Museums, the Art Hall of Jingchu Culture

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After coming out of the Chu King's Chariot and Horse Pit, we planned to find a restaurant by the roadside for lunch before heading to the Jingzhou Museum.

Since it was the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, most roadside restaurants were closed. It wasn't until we were almost entering the city that we saw many cars parked in the yard of the 'Dianjiangtai Farmhouse' by the road. We stopped to check, and found that it was not only open during the Spring Festival but also doing very good business.

After ordering, the waiter brought an electric rice cooker to our private room and cooked rice right there—this was the first time we had seen that. Perhaps we had ordered too little rice, or we were hungry after sightseeing, but the rice turned out to be in short supply. So we added hot water to turn it into congee, which was actually quite good.

After eating and drinking our fill, we continued on. When we reached the intersection of Jingzhou North Road and Jingzhou Middle Road, we saw several traffic police officers directing vehicles to go straight ahead and not turn right. It turned out that because so many people were visiting the museum during the Spring Festival, vehicles were not allowed to enter Jingzhou Middle Road. We could park on the wide roadside of Jingzhou North Road and then walk to the museum.

After finding a spot to park, we walked back. As soon as we entered Jingzhou Middle Road, we saw a long queue that extended beyond the museum grounds. We quickly joined the end of the line and shuffled forward slowly.

When we neared the museum gate, security guards kept reminding everyone that due to the large number of visitors, they should not enter the main exhibition hall first, otherwise they would see nothing amidst the crowd. Instead, they should visit the Rare Treasures Exhibition Hall first and then return to the main building, staggering the visit for a better experience.

Our first stop was the Western Han Dynasty Ancient Corpse Hall, which was hosting the 'Special Exhibition of the Qing Dynasty Female Corpse from Lujiashan'. In a glass coffin at the center of the hall lay a well-preserved ancient corpse. According to the information, the corpse was female, around 60 years old. On display around it were precious burial objects such as jadeite hairpins, jadeite bracelets, and pottery steamers.

Next, we entered the Rare Treasures Exhibition Hall. The 'Exhibition of the Han Dynasty Tomb No. 168 at Fenghuangshan of the Fifth-Grade Grandee Sui' featured a well-preserved male corpse with the title 'Fifth-Grade Grandee' and the name 'Sui'. Also on display were a bamboo slip 'Letter to the Earthly Authorities', brushes, ink, a balance beam, as well as lacquerware, bronzeware, pottery, bamboo items, silk and linen fabrics, and wooden figurines. These precious artifacts are over 2,100 years old.

The 'Divine Charm of Red Lacquer: Exhibition of Fine Lacquerware from Chu, Qin, and Han Dynasties' exhibited lacquerware unearthed from ancient tombs of the Warring States, Qin, and Han periods, including items for eating, dressing, entertainment, burial, and crafts.

Items such as the pig-shaped wine container, tiger-base flying bird, toad-base phoenix and feathered figure, and phoenix treading on a snake with lotus flower cover bean were beautifully shaped, exquisitely crafted, brilliantly colored, and elegantly patterned, representing a high-level expression of ancient Chinese aesthetic consciousness.

In particular, the tiger-base phoenix hanging drum featured two crouching tigers with raised heads and curled tails, their backs facing each other, serving as the base. On each tiger's back stood a long-legged phoenix with its head raised, singing loudly. Between the two back-to-back phoenixes, a large drum was suspended by a red rope from the phoenix crests. The phoenixes were tall and majestic, looking down upon the sky, while the tigers were small and cowered on the ground, reflecting the Chu people's reverence for the phoenix, their yearning for peace, and their spirit of conquering fierce beasts and defying the strong. The entire piece was vividly shaped and brilliantly painted, serving both as a musical instrument and a work of art.

After leaving the Rare Treasures Exhibition Hall, we went to the main exhibition hall. There were far fewer visitors than before, as after 4 PM the museum only allowed exits, no entries. It turned out to be wise to follow the staff's advice.

The 'Starry Sky and the Moon Together: Exhibition of Primitive Culture on the Jianghan Plain' mainly introduced the historical remains of the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras on the Jianghan Plain. The Jigongshan site reflects the Paleolithic culture of the Jianghan Plain. Around 12,000 years ago, it went through stages such as the Daxi Culture, Qujialing Culture, and Shijiahe Culture.

'The Essence of Chu Kings: Exhibition of Jade Wares Unearthed in Jingzhou' showcased fine jade artifacts unearthed in the Jingzhou area. The most eye-catching was a set of jade pieces consisting of 6 jade bi discs, 2 jue rings, 2 sets of interlocking rings, 4 heng ornaments, 1 double-dragon pendant, 2 jue-shaped tubes, 26 shell-shaped ornaments, 232 jade beads, and 1 glass bead.

'Writing on Bamboo and Wood: Exhibition of Bamboo Slips Unearthed in Jingzhou' focused on bamboo slip artifacts from the Warring States, Qin, and Western Han periods unearthed in Jingzhou. The text on the slips recorded various aspects of society at the time, including politics, economy, military, and culture, making them important materials for studying ancient history and culture with high historical and cultural value.

'The Marvels of Ceramics: Exhibition of Ancient Porcelain Unearthed in Jingzhou' displayed porcelain whose artistic beauty was fully expressed in form, decoration, and glaze. Each piece seemed to tell an ancient story, while also reflecting the unique charm and changes in cultural heritage, aesthetic tastes, and artistic styles across different historical periods, regional cultures, and social strata.

The Western Jin celadon fortified manor was rectangular, consisting of enclosing walls, a main tower, corner towers, main house, left and right wing rooms, and a granary. The courtyard walls were high, with a gate in the middle topped by a two-story gate tower, and double-story corner towers at each of the four corners, all with five-ridge hipped roofs. The piece was grand in scale, vividly recreating local architectural features from over a thousand years ago, and was a microcosm of feudal local manors with military defense functions.

'The Splendor of Auspicious Metals: Exhibition of Bronze Wares Unearthed in Jingzhou' displayed high-quality bronze artifacts unearthed in Jingzhou, extremely exquisite and considered national treasures. The most distinctive and iconic was the 'Chu-style ding', characterized by its constricted waist, flat bottom, and flared mouth, with the body tapering inward to form a light arc, reflecting the Chu people's preference for agility and liveliness, which matches the poetic line 'A slender waist light enough to dance on a palm.'

The Jingzhou Museum houses four generations of Yue King swords and many other bronze swords, making it the museum with the most collected Yue King swords in the country. Among them, the Goujian sword of the Yue King is sharp and shiny as if new, and is a first-class national cultural relic.

The exhibits at the Jingzhou Museum were so captivating that we lost track of time. It was already 5 PM when the staff repeatedly reminded us that the museum was about to close. We had to leave the exhibition halls reluctantly, looking back every few steps.

Preparing to head back, we went to Dashaixiang Lane on Jianghan North Road in Shashi District to have dinner there. All the shops along the specialty food street had set up their businesses outside, and there were also itinerant vendors setting up stalls in the middle of the street. Shops generally didn't provide seats, so visitors had to eat while walking. The already narrow alley became even more crowded, and the street was not very clean.

We bought some snacks casually, returned to the car, ate quickly, and set off on the road home.

February 22, 2024