The Exhibition of the Three Kingdoms Legend Helps Chengdu Apply for Culture City of East Asia (I)
Author: GoChengdu 2021-11-15

Contemporary presentation displays Three Kingdoms culture's continuing vitality

 

 

The Exhibition of the Three Kingdoms Legend, guided by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration and Chengdu Municipal People's Government, and hosted by the Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum, came to a close on 8 October 2021.

 

 

As the largest Three Kingdoms themed touring exhibition, the Exhibition of the Three Kingdoms Legend had been staged in many Japanese and Chinese cities. The exhibition in Chengdu brought together more than 160 pieces of fine cultural relics from 36 museums nationwide, including 30 first-class pieces and 39 second-class pieces. Through the sections of the Era of Heroes and the Eternity of the Three Kingdoms, the cultural origins and historical vicissitudes of the Three Kingdoms (220-280) have been fully narrated, and the cultural inheritance of the Three Kingdoms history in Chengdu has been comprehensively displayed. Since its opening on 31 March 2021, the exhibition has received over 1.41 million visitors.

 

 

During the exhibition lasting for six months, the Chengdu Wuhou Shrine Museum provided activities and services relating to the carefully-planned exhibition to meet the needs of different audiences. Visitors have been thus empowered to "transcend time and space" as though they were there with Three Kingdoms legends. The profound Chinese history and culture helps modern city Chengdu apply for the Culture City of East Asia.

 

 

Also, the Museum provided free interpretation and digital audio services, benefiting nearly 10,000 visitors, and held 80 social and educational activities with 3,458 participants. The exhibition received a flood of retweets and comments and sparked heated discussions on the Internet, with over 71.84 million netizens reading and discussing.

 

Now all the cultural relics have returned to their hometown, whereas the surprise, marvel and reflection brought by the exhibition still remain. Let's have a review of the wonderful Exhibition of the Three Kingdoms Legend.

 

 

Exhibition reinvigorates Three Kingdoms culture

 

 

Although it is only a piece of profound Chinese history, the Three Kingdoms period, as an era of turbulence and bravery, features reforms and innovations, resourcefulness and motivations, heroes and talent, and has thus become the most renowned and familiar era to the public. As time goes by, cities of that period have already been reduced to relics. However, it is the very cultural relics that enable us to peer into the ancient Chinese society.

 

 

To stage the Three Kingdoms historically and vividly, the exhibition has been innovated. It shifted from the traditional telling of stories to the narrative telling based on historical positioning and historical significance, which served to provoke thoughts, reflections and discussions of the audiences, helping to inspire different versions of the Three Kingdoms in their breasts. The exhibition consisted of two sections - the Era of Heroes and the Eternity of the Three Kingdoms.

 

The Era of Heroes showcased the material well-being during the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220) and the social upheaval at the end of it. Through the perspective of the family history of Cao Cao (founding the state of Cao Wei), Sun Quan (founding the state of Dong Wu), and Liu Bei (founding the state of Shu Han), this section presented objective descriptions about the developing process, policy measures and historical up and downs of the Three Kingdoms. It concluded with the later unification of the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316). Those three parts together displayed the historical vicissitudes and people’s material life during the Three Kingdoms period.

 

 

The Eternity of the Three Kingdoms featured the inheritance and development of the Three Kingdoms culture from five aspects, including later literature, opera dressing, theme porcelain, paintings and calligraphy, and animation videos. In the preparation process, the exhibition team kept innovation and professionalism in tandem, striving to provide ultimate experience for the audiences.

 

To combine the Three-Kingdoms culture with contemporary aesthetics, the artistic forms have been diversified. The exhibition line moved in a magic way, giving full play to an echo function. The integration of static display and dynamic display gave rise to the historical atmosphere. With the ingenious designs, a visual feast of the Three-Kingdoms culture unfolded before your eyes.

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