Message from kschumacher

[Anonymous]

I visited the Bowers Museum last weekend for their exhibit entitled “Treasures from Shanghai: 5000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture.” The objects ranged from the Neolithic Period to the Qing Dynasty. Everything is on loan from the Shanghai Museum. The exhibit shows the progression and evolution of Chinese technology, art and culture.

I was particularly impressed by the pottery and jewelry. Other objects included bronze and ancient oracle bones from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, porcelain and other ceramics from the Tang through Ming dynasties, and boxes, paintings, and calligraphy in the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The majority of the exhibit was bronzes. This part did not interest me as much. There were 20 bronze pieces, from cookware to musical instruments. These revealed a lot about the cultures, for example their cooking cultures and rules and traditions of ceremonies.

I found the limited array of items rather nice. Instead of being overwhelmed by the contents of an entire museum, I felt that this exhibit let me really study the items and think about why each one might be included. Therefore the message which was the evolution of Chinese technology, art, and culture was not lost.

The Shanghai exhibit will be at the Bowers Museum until August 19, 2007. I was also intrigued to find out that the Bowers will have an exhibit on the Terracotta Warriors starting August 2008. I will definitely have to return!