On September 28, the large-scale special exhibition "Gold's Radiance Steeps Ancient China — The Civilizational Imprint of Ancient Chinese Gold and Silverware" ceremoniously opened at the Shushan Hall of the Anhui Museum. The exhibition brings together 362 pieces/sets (490 items in total) of precious cultural relics from 61 cultural and museum institutions across 22 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. Among them, 139 pieces/sets (197 items) are national first-class cultural relics. This is the largest gold-and-silver exhibition ever held in Anhui and also the temporary exhibition there that gathers the greatest number of precious relics.

Starting from China's earliest known gold ornaments, the exhibition features masterpieces from major national archaeological sites such as Sanxingdui, Jinsha, Wuwangdun, Yanxiadu, Haihunhou, Hejiacun, Famen Temple, the Jiangkou Sunken Treasures, and the Dingling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty. Highlight items include the Shang-dynasty gold mask from Sanxingdui (Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology), a Northern Wei Dynasty Deer Antler Shaped Golden Hairpin from the Inner Mongolia Museum, the Sui-dynasty empress Xiao’s crown from the Grand Canal Museum in Yangzhou, a Southern Song Dynasty sunflower-shaped gold cup from the Anhui Museum, a Ming-dynasty gold cicada- and jade-leaf ornament from the Nanjing Museum, the Wanli emperor’s black gauze winged ceremonial crown from the Ming Tombs Museum, and a tourmaline-and-gold crab from the Tongling Museum, among many other heavyweight “internet-famous” exhibits. These glittering national treasures not only showcase the consummate skills of ancient craftsmen but also carry the rites, beliefs, aesthetic tastes, and the spirit of their times within Chinese civilization.

Organized into four major sections — "Exquisite Craft and Ornamentation," "Vessels Bearing the World," "Measures of Wealth," and "All-Encompassing Brilliance" — the exhibition comprehensively interprets the multiple roles gold and silver objects played in ancient society. It guides visitors through delicate patterns to feel the everyday sentiments shared across ages, and to grasp the breadth and profundity of Chinese civilization.

The special exhibition will run through January 6, 2026, lasting a little over three months and offering the public a rare feast of ancient art and culture.

Source: anhuinews.com