The Splendor of Dongting: A Vessel of Huxiang Civilization
One museum, half the history of Hunan. From the grandeur of Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes to the sensational discoveries at the Mawangdui Han Tombs, this museum houses the deepest memories of the land of the Three Xiangs.
The Hunan Provincial Museum is the largest history and art museum in Hunan Province, one of the first museums to be designated as a National First Class Museum, and one of the eight national key museums jointly supported by the central and local governments. Its current collection comprises more than 540,000 cultural relics (sets), with the most distinctive items including artifacts unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Tombs, Shang and Zhou dynasty bronze ware, Chu-era artifacts, ceramics from various dynasties, and calligraphy and paintings.
paintings.
The burial garments of Lady Xin Zhui were unearthed in 1972 from Han Tomb No.1 at Mawangdui in Changsha. The entire garment is woven from silk and weighs only 49 grams. When folded, it fits inside a matchbox, truly living up to the description "as thin as cicada wings, as light as mist". It represents the pinnacle of textile technology during the Western Han Dynasty and is the oldest and best preserved Han Dynasty silk textile treasure in existence.
Shang Dynasty "The King of Square Lei" is a massive, majestic, and solemn vessel. Its entire surface is adorned with a background of cloud and thunder patterns, overlaid with motifs of animal masks. As the largest and most exquisite square lei of the late Shang period, it stands as a representative masterpiece of the golden age of Shang Dynasty bronze ware. What is most compelling about it is not its decoration, but its history: the body and lid had been separated for nearly a century, with the body having been lost overseas. In 2014, after extensive efforts, the body and lid were finally reunited, and the complete artifact returned to Hunan, pioneering a new model for the return of cultural relics through negotiated acquisition.
Unearthed in 1949 from the Chu tomb at Chenjia Dashan in Changsha, it is one of the earliest and best preserved portrait paintings ever discovered in China. The composition omits any background, depicting only three figures: a woman, a dragon, and a phoenix—outlined in ink. The phoenix's feathers appear to flutter, the yellow dragon soars skyward, and the woman's expression is dignified. Through this interplay of tension and release, the painting fully reveals the romance and imagination of the Chu people during the Warring States period.
It stands 38.5 centimeters tall and weighs 12.85 kilograms. Each of the four sides of the ding's body features a prominent human face in relief as the central motif, making it the only bronze square ding discovered to date that is decorated with human face motifs. Regarding the significance of the human faces, some scholars have linked them to the legend of the "Four Faces of the Yellow Emperor", while others believe they are related to ancient sacrificial customs.
1. HUNANESE EXHIBITION OF HUNAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
2. CHANGSHA MAWANGDUI HAN DYNASTY TOMBS EXHIBITION
1. CHANGSHA MAWANGDUI HAN DYNASTY TOMBS EXHIBITION
2. THEMED EXHIBITIONS