The Civilizations of the Great Rivers exhibition is on display at the Zhengzhou Museum (Wenhan Street Building) in Henan province, China from March 3 to June 3, 2023.
Under the guidance of the Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Zhengzhou Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, the exhibition is organized by the Zhengzhou Museum and supported by the Embassy of Italy in China, Art Exhibitions China, and the Italian Cultural Institute of Beijing. Sourced from 4 Italian museums and 14 Chinese collections, the exhibition features 203 precious relics (sets) from the Tigris and Euphrates, Nile, Indus, Yellow and Yangtze River Basins, which jointly showcase the splendid civilizations nourished by these great rivers.
Divided into four parts: “Nurishment”, “Shaping”, “Cities and States” and “Development and Coexistence”, the exhibition provides a comprehensive introduction to the ancient peoples who lived in the river basins of the Tigris and Euphrates, Nile, Indus, Yellow and Yangtze rivers, and their remarkable journey in developing agrarian civilisations that relied on these great river basins. This is a proactive dialogue between civilizations, and through a comparative display of these civilizations, the exhibition illustrates their rise and fall, continuity and disruption, exchanges and mutual learning, development and common prosperity, which will provoke deep reflection on the shared future for mankind.
Section One “Nurishment” presents the natural environment of the four great river basins as the cradles of civilization. Section Two “Shaping” recounts the relationship between humans and the great rivers through pottery and agriculture. Section Three “Cities and States” chronicles the glorious histories of these four ancient civilizations. Section Four “Development and Coexistence” explores the close integration between the ancient civilizations, which continuously extended from land to ocean and connected the world like rivers flowing into the sea. Whether it is harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind, or an international community of a shared future for mankind, development and coexistence are timeless topics of discussion.
Source: Zhengzhou Museum