Reflecting on a vivid panorama of life in early Tang Dynasty

"Reflection on the Zhenguan Governance," a Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) culture exhibition, is now on at Minhang Museum and will run through May 5.

Zhenguan refers to the name of the reign of Emperor Li Shimin (AD 599-649) from AD 627 to 649. The exhibition features 132 pieces or sets of cultural relics from 13 museums such as the Zhaoling Museum of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province; Beijing's National Museum of China; the Shanxi Museum; and the Inner Mongolia Museum.

The relics, illustrations and notes combine to present a panorama of politics, social milieu, cultural exchanges and historic changes during early Tang.

A prelude hall guides visitors through a history of battles the emperor joined when he was a young prince by showcasing six stone reliefs depicting the warhorses he rode to subdue various uprisings nationwide.

Each of the stone horses has an arrow on the butt or the body, suggesting the emperor himself was wounded profusely during the battles.

A very historic item among the exhibits is a gravestone of Yuchi Jingde (AD 585-658), a reliable general for the emperor. The general rescued Li when the latter launched the Xuanwu Gate coup for the crown and was on the verge of being killed by his opponent.

The gravestone weighs more than a ton and its epigraph bears 25 Chinese characters carved in feibai (飞白)calligraphy style characterized by its hollow strokes. Its surroundings are decorated by patterns of peony.

Tang tri-colored glazed ceramics are a highlight among the exhibits.

The glazes have their natural colors of yellow, green and white through firing of glaze with mixed metals such as bronze, iron oxide and lead.

Painted glazed pottery was another craft skill during Tang. Differing from the tri-colored glazed ceramics that reflect colors naturally, the colors on these pottery were painted.

A pair of figurines featuring a civil official and a military officer borrowed from Zhaoling Museum are craftworks of painted glazed pottery. Their colors, patterns and lines are clearer than works of tri-colored glazed ceramics.

"The figurine of the military officer wears mirror armor on his bosom," said Xu Di, head of Minhang Museum's publicity and education department. "Soldiers in the first row of a fighting squad in Tang wore mirror armors. The mirrors reflected sunrays to blind the opponents."

Xu added: "The figurine of the civil official was so subtly carved that we are able to see his earholes. Its connotation shows an emperor's willingness to accept opinions from his subordinates."

"The Portrait of a Smiling Lady" is a mural unearthed from the tomb of the niece of Emperor Li Shimin.

"Women were bound by diverse social norms in ancient times. Yet in Tang some of them were broken and we see historic records of women riding horses," Xu pointed out. "The smiling lady showing her teeth reflects a relaxed social atmosphere."

Chiwen (鸱吻) are decorations on both sides of the main ridge of a roof that functioned as both fire protection and lucky token to ward off evil spirits. The pottery chiwen exhibited this time came from the graveyard of Li Shimin. It weighs 150 kilograms and is 1.5 meters tall.

Another important item, a gilded gold silver teapot, will be displayed at the end of March. The history of the teapot tells about Greek, Persian and Chinese civilizations and trading and exchanges on the ancient silk road.

Venue: Minhang Museum

Dates: Through May 5, 9:30-16:30, Tuesday-Sunday

Tickets: Free

Address: 1538 Xinzhen Rd

新镇路1538号