5000 Years in One Big Room

Five thousand years, five thousand years. It’s a rallying cry for patriotic Han, and a sarcastic slogan for exasperated foreigners cut off in line for the third time in a day. One might argue, “What were the rest of us doing in 3000 B.C., swinging from branches?” Not quite – Poseidon was helping build Troy’s great wall, the Druids were balancing out Stonehenge, and Mesopotamians were trading in shekels .

The Chinese claim to five millennia is unique in that they are referring to a more or less unbroken ethno-cultural line. It’s easy to get cute and bring up Mongolians and Manchus, but it’s exceedingly difficult to envision such a span of time, to appreciate what a profusion of ritual, art, and artifact has been bequeathed today’s Zhonguoren. “Chinese Memory- Treasures of a 5000-year Civilization”, an exhibition running at Beijing’s Capital Musem until October 7^th, provides as good an opportunity as any of us are ever likely to get. Here are some of the stand-out pieces.

More than five thousand years old, this 40cm diameter pottery bowl is from the Neolithic age, from between 5000 and 3000 BCE, and was unearthed in Shaanxi. The dim etchings are intended to bring fertility and a good harvest. They obviously worked, at least in the former case.

An eagle zun (ritual drinking) vessel, also Neolithic and from Shaanxi. Those who theorize that agriculture’s original purpose was to ferment grains have corroboration in the loving craftsmanship that New Stone Agers put into this 30 cm – high drinking stein, and the fact that they made a religious affair out of hoisting a mug.

1300 BCE: Yu the Great curbs floods with canal building, launching the Xia Dynasty. Now that people have hope of keeping their objet d’art dry, they start working with bronze. This bronze zun from the Shang Dynasty (1300-1046 BCE: all chronological contentions should be forwarded to the curators of the Capital Museum) reveals just how old the dragon theme is for souvenirs.

Another bronze masterpiece from the Shang – a sacrificial mask found in Sichuan.

The Spring & Autumn Period (770 – 476 BCE): Western barbarians are already up to their uncivilized antics, splitting up the Zhou Dynasty. China’s not quite at the Warring States stage yet, but there are plenty of war drums to beat. This bronze drum pedestal from Anhui makes a classy statement to friend and foe alike.

By the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BCE), things were chaotic enough to necessitate totems like this two-headed wooden tomb ornament, a scare-ghoul if you will. (Apologies for this and other blurry pics – to experience the hordes in the museum, jostling and shoving in frenzied exultation at their high level of culture, is to understand the miracle of a clear shot.)

Just because all the States are Warring doesn’t mean a nobleman can’t fend off the elements in style. This bronze stove and coal pan are from a distant time when style trumped child-safety ratings.

Ironic that a dynasty only 15-years long would be responsible for so much associated with the Middle Kingdom. But that was the civilization-building genius of Emperor Qin Shihuang (Qin Dynasty 221 – 206 BCE). Standardized axle widths, writing, coins, weights and measures get civilians in harmonious gear. A Great Wall gives those pesky barbarians something to think about. And a few hundred thousand terra-cotta warriors give big-noses the world over a reason to brave jet lag and bumpy bus rides to the outskirts of Xi’an.

This pure jade burial suit makes a strong statement to funeral goers and tomb raiders alike. Even as early as the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 25 CE), Chinese such as the King of Chu knew that gold has great value, but jade is priceless. Museum attendants were reluctant to reveal whether what’s left of King Chu is still moldering in that coffin-suit.

This carved story-teller with drum, from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 CE) reveals that one could wax fat and happy and never lift a finger to the plow. Of course, this particular carving is from Chengdu, where people drop their work to chat and tell stories at the slightest excuse. It’s all the red pepper – makes them giddy.

This Sui Dynasty figure, made in 597 CE, reveals the influence of the Silk Road not just on Chinese commerce, but on art as well.

At almost eighty centimeters long, this Tang Dynasty jade belt, replete with gold and gems, shows that whoever wore it was not only rich as sin, but big enough to handle anyone who got light fingered with his loot.

This 5 Dynasties (907 -960) era stone carving is not only amazingly detailed, but proof of what a profound effect the Tang and succeeding dynasties had on Japanese culture. These women are labeled as maid servants, showing how amazingly versatile domestic help was back then. How many instruments does your ayi play?

Crafted with the care given a Stradivarius, this Northern Song (960 – 1127 CE) red-lacquered, 7-string instrument isn’t a guzheng. It’s labeled as a jiu xiao huan pei, leaving none the wiser as to whether one can play Hotel California on it.

While the subjects of Song played their jiu xiao huan pei song, artisans of the Liao Dynasty (960- 1125 CE) were busy crafting this gilded silver mask. Ostensibly, the Liao was founded by fierce barbarians from the North known as Khitans, but whoever’s face this was molded on seems as Han as the country girl who brings you your niu rou mian.

Those who discount the Yuan emperors as uncouth Mongolian rabble had best get an eyeful of this exquisitely carved jade and enamel pillow, as beautiful and staggeringly impractical as anything Han-crafted, including King Chu’s death-day suit.

Whatever myth or allegory this strikingly realistic Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) statue refers to, it has to do with arched eyebrows and subtle cues to get out of camera range, according to our on-the-spot queries of onlookers. What does it matter? Whether terrapin or serpent prevails, they’re both in China, and could well be soup at the end of the day.

These Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) incense containers demonstrate not only consummate craftsmanship but also the paradoxical strategy to ensure China’s eternal richnes: absorbing influences from different cultures and adding a uniquely Chinese touch.

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