Colchester + Ipswich Museums

This exciting exhibition will showcase seventy of the treasures in Nanjing Museum, the second largest museum in China. It will explore the rise of Imperial China from the earliest Stone Age tombs to the time of the last Emperor and take us on a journey across 8000 years of Chinese history.

Stunning objects include a 2000 year old, life size jade suit from the tombs of the Han Dynasty rulers, an exquisite gold cicada sitting on a jade leaf worn by a Ming Princess nearly 600 years ago and the luxury items and ornaments that adorned the palace of the last of the Imperial families as the tumult of the twentieth century changed China for ever.

Alongside this rich history will be a celebration of Chinese crafts and the enduring appeal of animals in Chinese culture. A delicate jade mouse will join an 8000 year old pottery pig and three wise monkeys immortalised on a lacquer plate amongst a host of other creatures who will delight and fascinate family audiences.

The exhibition is being co-curated by ten children from The Gilberd School who are drawing on the experience of their own once-in-a-lifetime trip to China to share this unique window into Chinese culture with the many visitors.

The exhibition will open on Saturday 30th June 2012 and close on January 7th 2013. In 2013 Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service will be sending their own treasures to Nanjing Museum to share with communities there and to celebrate the spirit of international partnership.

In partnership with Essex County Council:

Essex County Council and the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government have had a special relationship for 24 years. This link has developed over the years to bring many benefits to both regions. In addition to the business and cultural opportunities on both sides, 88 Essex schools are linked with schools in Jiangsu. In 2008, Essex County Council celebrated the friendship between the two governments with the Essex - Jiangsu Cultural Festival which launched the beginning of the Cultural Olympiad in Essex. A festival highlight was the Guardians to the Kings exhibition at Colchester Museum, with Han figurines from Xuzhou Museum in the north of Jiangsu. These special projects, including Treasures of China are possible because of the support of Essex County Council and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government as part of the link between the two regions.

Contact for Essex County Council: Belinda Farrell.
International Cultural Festival Manager 01245 347456 or Belinda.Farrell@essex.gov.uk.

Watch this space for more information!