In order to enhance cultural and academic exchanges across the international community and facilitate inter-civilization exchanges and learning, the “Homeland of Phoenix — Hubei Art Exhibition of the Zeng and Chu Culture in the Bronze Age” will be launched in the United States in mid-April. It will be co-sponsored by the Hubei Provincial Museum and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Among all exhibited objects, there will be 37 cultural relics in the Warring States Period from the Jingzhou Museum to showcase the unique charm of the Chu culture in Jingzhou to overseas audiences.

It was learned that the Hubei Provincial Museum requested more than 260 precious cultural relics with the support of the Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Jingzhou Museum, Suizhou Museum, Yichang Museum, and Xiangyang Museum. These relics will serve as the spokespersons of the “Homeland of Phoenix” art exhibition to disseminate legends of the Zeng and Chu states and the Chu culture during the Zhou Dynasty.

The cultural relics from the Jingzhou Museum to be exhibited in the United States mainly involve four categories: silk, lacquered wood ware, jade, and bronzeware, and include six national first-class cultural relics. The first category mainly includes a silk attire embroidered with dragon, phoenix, and tiger patterns, and brown silk hats. Among them, the silk attire unearthed from Mashan Tomb No. 1 is sophisticatedly embroidered with dragon, phoenix, and tiger patterns, and looks gauzy as cicada wings. The second category mainly includes a painted pig-shaped box of wine vessels, wooden figurines, and a lacquered statuette with the pattern of a phoenix standing on a tiger. Among them, the box of wine vessels is the most symbolical lacquered wood ware for its unique shape and splendid decorations. There are eight paintings on the ware in a sequential order which consist of a story, which represent the first comic book discovered in China. In addition to that, the bronzeware to be displayed is the Sword of Goujian, and jade wares mainly include dragon-shaped jade pendants, jade bi discs, jade rings, and top gem of jade pendants unearthed from the Xiongjiazhong Graveyard in Jingzhou. These cultural relics will reflect the history, art, and beliefs of the pre-Qin period in the Jianghan Plain, present the latest archaeological achievements, and showcase the lifestyle and aesthetics of aristocrats in the pre-Qin period.

It was learned that, in early March, the Jingzhou Museum carefully packed cultural relics to be exhibited in the United States in accordance with professional standards and the requirements of the Hubei Provincial Museum, and provided preventive and security measures during transportation to ensure their safety. At present, these cultural relics have arrived in San Francisco after customs clearance.