Shanghai Museum's New Exhibition "Dragon Soars in China": Unlocking the Exhibition Logic and Highlights

Dear friends👋, the Shanghai Museum East Building's annual blockbuster exhibition—"Dragon Soars in China: Special Archaeological Exhibition on the Ancient Civilization of Hongshan Culture"—officially opens today🎊! This exhibition focuses on the Hongshan Culture in the Liao River Basin, one of the important origins of Chinese civilization🧐. The exhibition vividly showcases the central role of the "dragon" totem in early Chinese civilization, with immense historical value📜! Missing it would truly be a lifelong regret, so if you're interested, hurry up and join us💥!

😎 Thoughtful tour group, an immersive experience
🎫 Say goodbye to the hassle of queuing for tickets: Queuing for tickets is really torturous😫! But with this tour group, tickets are well arranged and there’s a green channel, making it super smooth. While others are still lining up under the sun, we’ve already passed security easily and are enjoying the artifacts, saving time and effort—you’ll know how great it is once you try🤩!

✨ Professional guides take you on an in-depth tour: Before, I used to just glance through exhibitions. This time, with professional guides, the explanations are both expert and easy to understand👍. Even those of us with only a little history knowledge can follow along, and kids get totally fascinated, remembering several artifacts and sparking their interest in history😆!

🗓️ Flexible time options: The tour group offers 2 sessions daily, morning or afternoon, so no worries about scheduling conflicts—super considerate💯!

👥 Boutique small groups, comfortable viewing: Small groups mean less noise and a more pleasant experience. The provided audio equipment is excellent, making it easy to hear and see details clearly, elevating the exhibition experience to another level—totally worth the money💰!

👉 Click below to instantly get this amazing exhibition experience～

📜 Exhibition Logic: Dual threads interwoven, deep interpretation of Hongshan Culture
Main thread: Comprehensive presentation of Hongshan Culture’s achievements
The exhibition systematically showcases the brilliant achievements of Hongshan Culture in society, religion, rituals, jade craftsmanship, and more, allowing us to fully appreciate the charm of Hongshan Culture🧐.
Secondary thread: The "dragon" element runs throughout
Using the "dragon" element as a connecting thread, it deeply explains the close relationship between the dragon totem and Hongshan Culture, as well as its profound influence on later generations, helping us better understand the inseparable bond between Hongshan Culture and the "dragon"✨.

🎯 Three major sections exploring the development of Hongshan Culture
1. "Dragon Emerges from the Liao River" (Origins and Development)
Tracing the origins of Hongshan Culture, showing how it gradually rose in the Liao River Basin, learning the origin story of Hongshan Culture and feeling the dawn of civilization🌱.
2. "Dragon Moves through Hongshan" (Characteristics of the Ancient Kingdom)
Focusing on the Niuheliang site, it analyzes the late Hongshan Culture’s iconic "altar, temple, tomb" advanced ritual architectural complex, revealing the complex social structure and unique "ancient kingdom" form of Hongshan Culture, uncovering the mysterious veil of the Hongshan ancient kingdom🕵️.
3. "Dragon Spreads Across the Nine Provinces" (Inheritance and Influence)
Focusing on the most representative jade artifacts and jade ritual system of Hongshan Culture, exploring its profound influence on later Chinese jade culture and ritual traditions, witnessing the inheritance and continuation of civilization, and feeling the brilliance of Hongshan Culture throughout history🌟.

🌟 Core highlights, each one stunning
1. The pinnacle of jade rituals: Hongshan jade system
• The exhibition gathers nearly 200 pieces (sets) of Hongshan Culture jade artifacts, unprecedented in scale and completeness, truly a jade feast🥳.
• The C-shaped jade dragon and ring-shaped jade dragon, as early evidence of the "dragon" totem, hold a crucial position. They are connected by the "Axis of Civilization" at the center of the exhibition hall, vividly showing the development and evolution of dragon-shaped artifacts, amazing us with the wisdom and creativity of ancient people🤖.
• The complex jade ritual system constructed by Hongshan Culture is regarded by scholars as an important origin of the later Chinese jade ritual tradition, profoundly influencing the development of ancient Chinese ritual culture📿.
2. A millennium witness to ancestor worship: Portrait art series
Gathering 38 pieces (sets) of portrait-type artifacts spanning from 8,000 to 4,000 years ago, the exhibit sequence is complete. From stone figures of Xinglongwa and Zhaobaogou cultures, to pottery, clay, jade, and stone portraits of Hongshan Culture, and to human-shaped pottery jars of the Xiaoheyan Culture, each artifact is direct physical evidence of the deep tradition of ancestor worship in the Liao River Basin, revealing the mysterious and rich spiritual world of the ancestors🧠.
3. An important symbol of Chinese civilization: The altar-temple-tomb ritual system
The late Hongshan Culture’s "altar, temple, tomb" triad at the Niuheliang site is an outstanding representative of early Chinese ritual architecture, with far-reaching influence. It is a significant milestone in the development of Chinese civilization, embodying the ancient people's reverence and faith toward heaven, earth, and ancestors⛩️.

📌 Exhibition Information at a Glance
Exhibition Name: "Dragon Soars in China: Special Archaeological Exhibition on the Ancient Civilization of Hongshan Culture"
Exhibition Location: Shanghai Museum East Building, Bright Dairy First Special Exhibition Hall
🗓️ Exhibition Period: 2025.06.26 - 10.08