Hosted by: Guangdong Museum (Guangzhou Lu Xun Museum)

Co-organized by: Sichuan Museum; Hunan Museum; Anhui Museum (Anhui Cultural Relics Authentication Office); Hubei Provincial Museum; Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum; Chengdu Museum; Sanxingdui Museum, Guanghan, Sichuan; Jinsha Site Museum, Chengdu; Chengdu Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team (Chengdu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology); Changsha Museum; Jingzhou Museum; Suizhou Museum; Zhenjiang Museum; Shaoxing Museum; Baoji Bronze Ware Museum; Keqiao District Museum, Shaoxing; Zhang Qian Memorial Hall (county museum), Chenggu County; Shifang Museum

Supported by: Shaanxi Yiyu Cultural Media Co., Ltd.

To support the preservation and transmission of Yangtze River culture and to empower socioeconomic development through cultural resources, Guangdong Museum has launched the special exhibition Nurtured by the Same Water: Bronze Age Civilizations in the Yangtze River Basin, co-organized by 18 cultural institutions including Sichuan Museum, Hunan Museum, Anhui Museum, Hubei Provincial Museum, Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, and the Sanxingdui Museum. The exhibition opened on February 6 at the Guangdong Museum. This special exhibition brings together 137 pieces (sets) of precious cultural relics from Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang. Nearly 40% are first-grade cultural relics, making it the largest and most significant exhibition of its kind ever held in Guangdong showcasing the brilliant Bronze Age civilizations of the Yangtze River Basin.

Taking the upper, middle, and lower reaches of the Yangtze River as its narrative thread, the exhibition presents the interplay and mutual influence among the Bashu, Jingchu, and Wu-Yue cultural spheres during the Shang and Zhou dynasties—distinct in character, yet interconnected and mutually enriching. The exhibition consists of four parts: The Brilliance of Ba and Shu, A Rivalry of Heroes, Unity in Diversity, and All Under Heaven as One. Part One, The Brilliance of Ba and Shu, interprets the ancient Shu civilization—represented by the Sanxingdui site, the Jinsha site, and Eastern Zhou cemeteries like the Majia Wooden-Chambered Tombs in Xindu—from the perspective of the Yangzi River Basin, showcasing the mystery and uniqueness of Ba-Shu civilization from multiple angles. Part Two, "A Rivalry of Heroes," starts with the Panlongcheng site, the first capital and military stronghold of the Shang dynasty's southward expansion, revealing the majesty of a vassal kingdom, the strange and romantic style of the Jing-Chu region, and the boat-faring, martial spirit of the Wu-Yue peoples, highlighting the distinct features of the bronze civilizations in the middle and lower Yangtze River basin. Part Three, "Unity in Diversity," analyzes and compares the Yangzi River bronze civilization within the "unity in diversity" framework of Chinese civilization, which had the Erlitou culture of the Central Plains at its core. It interprets the open and inclusive nature of the Yangtze bronze civilization and the splendid, mutually-learning characteristics of the Yangtze and Central Plains regional civilizations. The Epilogue, "All Under Heaven as One," narrates the colossal change when the Qin vanquished the six states, unifying "All Under Heaven," and the millennia-old, tumultuous bronze civilization of the Yangtze River merged into the main body of Huaxia (Chinese) civilization.

Featuring 54 first-grade cultural relics, this is one of the largest and highest-level exhibitions presented by the Guangdong Museum in recent years. During the exhibition period, visitors can enjoy free use of smart audio guides with a special-exhibition ticket, join educational activities, purchase archaeological blind boxes and picture books, and collect specially designed exhibition stamps.

Through tangible archaeological evidence, this exhibition traces the millennia-long cultural lineage stretching from the mountains of Bashu to the rivers and lakes of Jiangnan. It composes a “Yangtze River epic” cast in bronze, offering powerful testimony to the diversity and unity of Chinese civilization and its deep cultural confidence. 

Date: February 6 – June 2, 2024

Venue: Special Exhibition Hall, 3rd Floor, Guangdong Museum

Ticket Price: RMB 60 (full), RMB 30 (concession)

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