Ancient Cultures, Timeless Stories

Cyrus Tang Hall of China

Walk between the sacred stone guardians and into a history of humankind that stretches back 10,000 years and that reverberates today.

Examine the intricate design of a Qing Dynasty emperor’s silk robe. Get lost in the bustle of a busy festival in late Ming Dynasty in the 27-foot-long scroll painting, Along the River during the Qingming Festival. Or unwind in the Sue Ling Gin Garden, a peaceful space filled with eight spirit stones donated by the municipal government of Suzhou.

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Exhibition Summary

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People often think of China as monolithic: a gigantic, singular entity defined by one land, one people, one culture. In reality China is a land of incredible diversities: of landscapes, ethnicities, religions, social statuses, and lived experiences that cut across space and time. Come explore this vast country and examine the paradox of constant change and strong continuity that define more than 10,000 years of rich cultural history, from the Neolithic period to the present.

Exhibition highlights

Study an animated map of dynastic China’s shifting political borders
See the Qingming scroll, a 27-foot-long painting of life in a prosperous river city
Experience a shadow puppet performance of the epic tale Journey to the West
See cargo recovered from a trading vessel that sank in the Java Sea during the 12th or 13th century

Image slideshow

Gallery

  • Qing (ching) Dynasty silk robe.

    Photographer(s): John Weinstein (c) (c) Field Museum

  • 19th-century mask depictsing Yang Ren.

    Photographer(s): John Weinstein (c) (c) Field Museum

  • Sue Ling Gin Garden.

    Photographer(s): Morgan Anderson (c) (c) Field Museum

  • Qingming Scroll

    Photographer(s): Unspecified (c) (c) Field Museum

  • Chinese jade disk

    Photographer(s): John Weinstein (c) Photo by John Weinstein, © 2014 The Field Museum

Screen reader users can skip the following slideshow buttons by using heading navigation. All slides have been displayed above.

Qing (ching) Dynasty silk robe.

Photographer(s):John Weinstein(c) (c) Field Museum

Learn about China

    Ask an Artifact | China Toolkit

    Discover what you can learn from the objects all around us when you look carefully and apply a specific disciplinary lens. Spanish subtitles available.

    VideoGrades 3-12

    Exploring Objects | China Toolkit

    Analyze objects using varied lenses, including anthropology, history, economics, geography, and art history.

    Lesson PlanGrades 3-12

    Investigating the Qingming Scroll | China Toolkit

    Learn about the contradictions depicted in the Qingming Scroll and compare it with present-day representations of idealized societies.

    Lesson PlanGrades 6-12

China hall press kit

Multimedia materials are available to accompany articles and other press mentions (with proper credit and copyright adherence). Unless otherwise noted, all materials are © Field Museum.

Press Kit

Acknowledgments

The Cyrus Tang Hall of China is made possible with the generous support of the Cyrus Chung Ying Tang Foundation.

Additional support provided by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund in Memory of Sue Ling Gin-McGowan.

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Photos from the Museum Archives

  • Snuff Bottle glass, coral
  • Yellow silk Imperial state robe with woven designs
  • Deborah Bekken and Lu Zhang with Qing Ming scroll rolled out on a table.
  • Bronze dagger
  • glazed mortuary clay figures of men
  • Dragon box lid
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