The Silk Road was the principal traffic route for silk trading from China through the Western Regions to Central Asia, India, West Asia and the east bank of the Mediterranean in the Han and Tang Dynasties. It stretched from east to west for thousands of kilometers, going through mountains, deserts, prairies, and oasis and connecting Asia and Europe together. First opened when Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, it reached its prime time in the Tang Dynasty. Being a main artery of the Eurasia Continent, it was not only the most important commercial passage between the east and west in ancient times, but also a bridge bringing together different human cultures from different places, through which a great number of amazing inventions were spread around.

Xinjiang, referred to as the Western Regions in ancient times, was the communications center on the Silk Road and had been a place anyone travelling between east and west must go through. Thanks to its dry climate and special geographical conditions, a lot of antiquities thousands of years old had been kept intact and were unearthed by archaeologists. They not only record the great geological and historical changes through thousands of years and reveal the magnificence of the culture of the Western Regions, but also are of great academic value in the study of nationalities, trade, communications and cultural exchanges on the Silk Road. These amazing relics have been on the show in Japan, the United States and a number of European countries, attracting millions of visitors. Of course, the itinerant exhibition in China also has established a far-reaching reputation.

In cooperation with the Bureau of Cultural Relics of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum, and the Institute of Archaeology of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Henan Museum presents this great exhibition “Legacies of the Silk Road: Exhibition of Cultural Relics Unearthed in Xinjiang”. More than 140 pieces of cultural relics, including the mummy of “Kroraina Beauty”, painted pottery, textiles of the Han and Tang Dynasties, documents of the 3rd century, gold and silver wares of the Tang Dynasty, and Buddhist murals. This is the first time for the historical cultural relics from Xinjiang to be exhibited in Henan province, and it is believed that they will bring much enjoyment and nurturing to the museum visitors. Hopefully, visitors of Henan province will get a new perspective for the Silk Road through such a close touch with the long history of the northwestern bordering areas as well as the mysterious charm of the Western Regions, and better understand and pay more attention to this attractive place in the west part of China.

The exhibition consists of three parts:

Unit One       Ancestors of the Silk Road

Unit Two       Opening of the Silk Road in the Han and Tang Dynasties

Unit Three   Documents and Currencies on the Silk Road

  

Some of the cultural relics shown at the exhibition

The exhibition will start at Oct. 20th. and go through Nov.20th, 2011