Mountain Residence at Mt.Fuchun

Yuan Dynasty paintings laid stress on landscape with literary interest. Poems, calligraphy and painting were consciously arranged in perfect harmony so as to form the style of mountains-and-water painting with the "scholars’ painting" as its main theme. Huang Gongwang (1269-1354) was learned. Proficient in tonality and good at calligraphy, he began to paint mountains and streams when he was in his 50s. With his magnificent,refined and elegant style, Huang Gongwang’s paintings gained important position among artists of the time. The scroll Mountain Residence at Mt. Fuchun is his most popular piece. As a paper wash painting scroll, it is divided into two sections with the previous section 31.8 cm tall and 51.4 cm long,owned by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and the latter section 33 cm tall and 636.9 cm long, owned by the Palace Museum in Taiwan.

Sutra Keeping Case

This gold-traced sandalwood sutra keeping case, unearthed from the Pagoda of Enlightened Wisdom in Rui’an County, Wenzhou City in 1966, is a lacquerwork of the Song Dynasty. Handicraft industry was popular in Zhejiang Province during the Song Dynasty. The lacquerware in Wenzhou even gained national fame. The Wenzhou-made lacquerwares unearthed from Wujin, Jiangsu Province, in the 70s are exquisite, bearing lacquerers’ names, addresses and shop names. With a smaller box inside a larger one, the outer case, 40 cm long, 18 cm wide and 16.5 cm high, is made of sandalwood in

"The Double Birds Fly to the Sun" ——a Butterfly-Shaped Ivory Utensil

The primitive carving discovered at the Hemudu site of Yuyao, Zhejiang Province. first appeared on practical and sacrificial utensils. The utensil shown here is called. "The Double Birds Fly to the Sun." An exquisitely-carved piece. it was unearthed in 1977 at Hemudu. At 16.6 cm long, 5,9 cm wide and 1.2 cm thick, its base and upper section are incomplete. On the surface of the ivory, a beautiful picture is carved in intaglio lines: A pair of concentric circles in different sizes.

Girls in a Bronze Chamber

"Singing and Dancing Girls in a Bronze Chamber" was among 17 pieces of bronze ware unearthed froma late Spring and Autumn Period tomb at the foot of Shizi Mountain in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, in 1982. It is a rectangular model of a musical chamber 17 cm high, 13 cm wide and 11.5 cm in distance from the entrance

Manufacturing Ancient Imperial Silk

China was the first country in the world to develop silkworm breeding silk reeling, silk weaving, dying and embroidering. Located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, Zhejiang Province has a long history of silk production. At the Qianshanyang Remains, which date back 4,800 years, silk fabrics were excavated. All rulers of past ages had special organizations responsible

Container with Pig Pattern Design

Unearthed from Hemudu ruins of the New Stone Age in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province in 1977, this rectangular-mouthed container belongs to the Hemudu culture. It is carved with a pig pattern on both sides in realist style. A complete piece, the container has a flat bottom and slightly sloped belly, with a mouth 21.7 cm long and 17.5 cm wide. Most of the artifacts from Hemudu culture are charcoal black pottery. The stem and leaves of the pottery can be seen clearly. The walls of the artifacts are usually thick but porous. The carving lines are rough and the designs are simple and natural, reflecting the ancient people’s love of nature and life. The pig’s four strong feet and backward bristles carved on the container are vivid, with ears sticking out and

Inscriptions Found in the Pagoda on Thunder Peak

The Pagoda on Thunder Peak used to stand on Xizhao Hill (or Hills Bathed in Sunset). It is said that when the setting sun casts its last rays on the pagoda, it makes the most beautiful scene. However. it was after the pagoda was connected to a popular legend that it became well-known in China. The story ended with the heroine imprisoned underneath this pagoda. Built initially to commemorate Lady Huang,the royal con-

Topaz Zong

This topaz zong, 8.8 cm high, 17.1 cm wide and 17.6 cm long, is the largest and finest among the zongs now unearthed. Weighing in at 6,500 grams, it is crowned "Zong King." This topaz Zong King, with dark-red flaws, has fine and elegant patterns. Figurines and animals in the vertical sections on the four sides of the zong make it the first discovery of its kind. The carvings are as fine as hairs—almost illegible to the naked eyes.

Bridal Sedan Chair

Sedan chairs were a common mode of transportation in ancient China, with etiquette requiring their use during wedding ceremonies in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). They were an important part of weddings and added a jubilant atmosphere to the occasion. This well-preserved and quite likely the most luxurious