Cao Zhen caozhen0806@126.com AN exhibition of ancient bronze, silver and gold wares from Hunan Province is being held at the Shenzhen Museum’s Civic Center outlet. Featuring a spectacular selection of articles for daily and ritual use, the exhibition explores the fascinating culture of the Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming dynasties (1368-1644). The 150 works in the exhibition include gold/silver plates and cups engraved with flower designs, bronze vessels and furnaces and silver accessories. The exhibits are on loan from three museums in Hunan Province. According to Cai Ming, a researcher at the Shenzhen Museum, bronze wares represent an unprecedented sculptural tradition of great artistic strength that flourished in the Song Dynasty because scholar-officials at that time became highly interested in retrieving ancient relics from archaeological sites in order to revive the use of ancient vessels in state ritual ceremonies. Large quantities of bronze vessels were re-created during the Song Dynasty. He said Hunan was an important communication center due to its position on the Yangtze River. It was an important center of scholarly activity and Confucian thought, particularly at some academies, such as Yuelu Academy in Changsha and Wenjing Academy in Liuyang. Philosophers such as Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi reinvigorated Confucianism with new commentary, infused with Buddhist ideals, and emphasized a new organization of classic texts that brought out the core doctrine of Neo-Confucianism. Although the civil service examinations had existed since the Sui Dynasty (581-618), they became much more prominent during the Song period. The officials who gained power by succeeding on the exams became leaders in the shift from a military-aristocratic elite to a bureaucratic elite. Cai added that the academies and schools at that time provided not only education but also were temples for ritual use. At the exhibition, visitors can admire bronze furnaces engraved with beastly faces and ritual vessels in the shapes of animals. From the collection of exquisite gold/silver plates and cups engraved with flowers and figures, visitors can sense the ornate life of the well-off in Hunan during the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties thanks to its position on the middle reach of the Yangtze River and Central China, which made it the center of trade and exchange. Dates: Until Feb. 21, 2016 Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Mondays Venue: Shenzhen Museum, Block A, Civic Center, Futian District (福田区市民中心A区深圳博物馆新馆) Metro: Shekou or Longhua Line, Civic Center Station (市民中心站), Exit B | 