As spring approaches, and a new year is coming, in 2023, Henan Museum will strive for unveiling the fascinating anecdotes behind the cultural relics of China for the public through a series of elaborate exhibitions, which would be characterized by more diversity, more uniqueness, and more vibrancy.

Thematic Exhibition "Celebrating the Guimao Year with the Twelve Animals in the Chinese Zodiac Culture"

The exhibition will debut in the middle of Jan. 2023
2023 CE is the Year of Rabbit in the recycling circle of the traditional 12 Chinese zodiac years. With the Spring Festival approaching, Henan Museum meticulously selects the zodiac animal-related collections and other artifacts for the New Year celebrating exhibition. The selected exquisite objects, ingeniously crafted, sentimentally exemplified the spiritual expression of the ancient people to the animals, epitomizing the profound history and culture. 

Through these precious zodiac animal exhibits, we wish the visitors could perceive the observation, appreciation, comprehension, design, and envision by the ancient Chinese to the zodiac animals, and understand the best wishes for life featured by a great harvest and abundant farm animals.

                                  Pottery figures, Ming dynasty

               Painted pictorial brick depicting a winged dragon, the Southern dynasties

Bronze Galloping Goat, Han dynasty

Along with the exhibition, comes another “Zodiac Animal Picture Show for the Guimao Year (the year of rabbit)”, which is jointly organized by over 50 museums and cultural institutions, including the China Cultural Relics News, and the Association of the Dissemination of Zodiac Culture. The exhibition features hundreds of rabbit-themed pictures of artifacts, artworks, and precious specimens, demonstrating all the rabbit-related peace, happiness, and auspiciousness.

Themed Exhibition on Henan Intangible Cultural Heritage

For the "Nature and Cultural Heritage Day", Henan Museum will launch an exhibition themed "Intangible Cultural Heritages in Henan". With the continuation of inheriting and passing on, intangible cultural heritages contain the roots and souls of history and culture. The exhibition aims for disseminating the profound Henan Culture, fostering a favoring atmosphere for preserving the cultural heritages, and arousing the intrinsic shining glory of the brilliant traditional culture in the new era.

"Yangzhou-school Paintings" Masterpiece Exhibition

The important works of the Yangzhou Painting School, represented by that of "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou", will be shown to the public from April to June. Henan Museum specifically introduced "The Masterpiece Exhibition of Yangzhou Painting School" from Tianjin Museum to have the public access to the artworks of the great masters face to face. The preeminent sect in the Chinese art history features innovative, unconventional, bold artistic style, perfect match of poem, calligraphy, painting. The painters expressed their emotions by means of the ink and brush, accordingly 'Yangzhou Painting School'' develops the traditional freehand painting to a new level.

Huang Shen  Hanging scroll Grabbing the Pearl from the Dragon’s Mouth

Zhengxie  Orchid and Rock

Jin Nong  Bamboo

Bian Shoumin  Hanging scroll Chrysanthemum in Bottle

Thematic Exhibition "Connotation of ancient architectures in the Central Plains"

From October to December, Henan Museum shall grandly launch the thematic exhibition "Connotation of ancient architectures in the Central Plains". Now, for the first time, an exhibition shall illustrate the occurrence, development and humanistic ideology of ancient architectures in the Central Plains from multiple layers and perspectives. And it explores not only the spiritual core of "unity between man and nature", philosophical and aesthetic essence contained in the ancient architectures of the central plains, but also its era significance of abiding by the right track and contribution to East Asia and the whole world from the perspectives of forms, rules, layout planning, etiquette and folk-custom.

F105 of Xipo site at Lingbao city, Yangshao culture

Base location of No.8 palace of Yanshi Shang city, Shang danasty

Painted pottery 6-storey funerary building with storehouse, Han dynasty

Luoyang city in Tang dynasty

A highlight of national treasure

This year also marks the centennial of the discovery of the tomb of Lord of Zheng at Lijialou village, Xinzheng city, Henan province. And the valuable treasure “Bronze Ding with coiled serpent designs” will be put on display in “A highlight of national treasure”.

The more than 100 bronze sacrificial utensils unearthed at the tomb of Lord of Zheng in 1923 are the first "most important treasures" of Henan provincial Museum(now known as Henan Museum).During the years Japanese invasion of China, cultural relics unearthed from this large tomb were moved to the south part of China. Afterwards, part of them were transported to Taiwan province, China, in 1949, and it hasn’t done a "reunion" so far. In this special exhibition “Facing one another for a century”, Henan Museum presents a selection of precious treasures unearthed from the large tomb at Lijialou，and it reveals stories and legends in this one hundred years.

Bronze Ding with coiled serpent designs, Spring and Autumn period

In the coming 2023, Let’s continuing to achieve greater success hand in hand and heart to heart! And we look forward to your visit to Henan Museum to perceive the infinite charms and enduring power of culture!