The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has collaborated with the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration to present the exhibition "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Great Unity - Civilisation of the Qin and Han Dynasties in Shaanxi Province" at the Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH). This exhibition highlights the political, economic, cultural, technological, and cross-border transportation developments during the Qin and Han dynasties, offering members of the public the opportunity to explore the profound and extensive Chinese culture. The exhibition will run from April 16 to July 7, with free admission.
Over 100 sets of carefully selected exhibits will be presented, originating from the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, the Hanyangling Museum, and the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology (Shaanxi Archaeology Museum). More than half of these exhibits will be displayed in Hong Kong for the first time. Including 11 pieces/sets being grade-one national treasures, among which four will be exhibited outside the Mainland for the first time.
Notably, the Terracotta Kneeling Archer figurine from the Qin dynasty is a grade-one national treasure, representing a crossbow soldier. It features a coiled hairstyle, a battle robe, armor on the upper body and arms, square-toed shoes, and hands positioned as if holding a bow and crossbow. Traces of red pigment applied by craftsmen over 2,000 years ago can still be seen on the armor.
Another highlight is the horse-riding figurine from the Han dynasty, excavated from the southern outer burial pits of the Han Yangling Mausoleum. This armless, nude figurine has legs in a bow-shaped posture, originally likely mounted on a wooden horse. Circular holes and traces of wood remnants on its arms suggest that it was once fitted with wooden arms and dressed in silk or hemp clothing.
During the Han dynasty, currency was centrally managed by the government. A pottery cast mould, unearthed in Yangling Town in Gaoling District in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, was used to cast metal coins, presumably the "Wuzhu" bronze coins. Another exhibit, a gold disc, was discovered in the Zhang Anshi family cemetery of the Western Han dynasty at Fengqiyuan in Xi'an, used as an award or gift among the royals and nobility.
The exhibition will also showcase Hong Kong's development during the Qin and Han periods, featuring over 20 sets of archeological finds from Hong Kong, including the "Wuzhu" bronze coins from the Han dynasty unearthed in So Kwun Wat in Tuen Mun, Sham Wan at Lamma Island, and Sham Wan Tsuen in Chek Lap Kok as well as the pottery model of a house excavated from the Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb.
This exhibition is presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau as the second edition of the LCSD's General History of China Exhibition Series. It is jointly organised by the LCSD and the Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, co-curated by the HKMH and the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, in collaboration with the Chinese Culture Promotion Office, as solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Full support is provided by the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, the Hanyangling Museum, and the Shaanxi Academy of Archaeology (Shaanxi Archaeology Museum). The Series launched its first exhibition, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Ancient Civilisation of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties in Henan Province" last year.
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