Two Crowns in Hohhot Reveal the Traces of Chinese Gold and Jade

JAKARTA - In a gallery at the Inner Mongolia Museum, Hohhot, two golden crowns face each other. One belongs to the empress of the Sui Dynasty. The other belongs to the leader of the Xiongnu tribe from the Warring States Period.

The two come from different times and worlds. But in the exhibition Golden and Jade Brilliance: Diverse and Splendid China, the two crowns are brought together by two materials that have long shaped the imagination of Chinese civilization: gold and jade.

Quoted from a report by China Daily, Friday, July 5, the exhibition will last until August 31 and presents 386 artifacts from 58 museums and cultural institutions in China.

"The way the two crowns face each other is very appropriate for this year's Museum Day theme, which is 'Museums Unite the Divided World'," said Zheng Chengyan, curator of the exhibition and Deputy Director of the Inner Mongolia Museum.

The Sui empress' crown is decorated with 13 flower arrangements of 10 types of materials. The shape is complicated and luxurious, reflecting the maturity of the art of the agrarian society of southern China.

Across from it, the crown of the Xiongnu leader appears more fierce. At the top is a golden eagle with a turquoise beak. It carries the imprint of the power of the northern steppe.

China Daily's report said that the exhibition traces almost 9,000 years of history through jade carvings, bronze objects, and gold artifacts. The story is not just about beautiful objects, but also how power, beliefs, and morality are formed through material.

"Gold symbolizes power and immortality, while jade symbolizes virtue and faith," Zheng said.

Visitors are first invited to see three jade artifacts from the Hongshan culture in northeast China, which date back to around 6,500 to 5,000 years ago. The artifacts are jade dragons, C-shaped yellow dragons, and human statues made of jade.

The dragon-pig is believed to be used in rituals to pray for harmony and good harvests. The C-shaped dragon is said to be one of the earliest forms of the dragon in Chinese art. The human statue is about 18 centimeters high and is believed to depict a shaman praying.

Artifacts from the Liangzhu culture in Zhejiang and Lingjiatan in Anhui are also on display. According to Zheng, the various early jade cultures have something in common: respect for the sky, ancestors, and nature.

When China entered the Bronze Age, jade did not lose its place. Since the Xia Dynasty, jade and bronze were used in ritual systems to mark status, behavior, and political power.

One of the important objects in the exhibition is the gold-masked bronze human head from Sanxingdui, from the Shang Dynasty. There is also a large bronze ritual vessel Zeng Zhong You Fu Hu from the Spring and Autumn Period.

Entering the Warring States and Han Dynasty, gold and jade are increasingly united. The two became an art language that described the grandeur of the empire.

In the middle of the exhibition, visitors see a replica of a Han Dynasty jade funeral garment sewn with gold wire. The garment is made from hundreds of pieces of jade to preserve the body after death.

"It is a cultural milestone that reflects the idea of eternity in the culture of gold and jade," Zheng said, quoted by China Daily.

The exhibition also features a horse-shaped gold bar from the tomb of the Marquis Haihun in Jiangxi, as well as jade objects for funeral rituals.

One artifact deliberately breaks out of the time sequence: a jade cricket from the tomb of a Khitan princess of the Liao Dynasty. According to Zheng, this shows a jade burial tradition that was born in the center of the Han civilization and then spread to the border region.

After the Han Dynasty, the Silk Road made China more open. Central Asian traders, northern horsemen, and Chinese agricultural communities met each other. Inner Mongolia became one of the important spaces for that meeting.

Other sections of the exhibition feature gold ornaments for equestrian gear, such as saddles, stirrups, and bridles. In the Yuan era, nomadic culture was also seen in jade carvings themed on hunting.

One of them is a jade belt ornament that depicts an eagle pouncing on a swan. This motif then spread until it appeared on the decoration of the Ming Dynasty officials' hats.

In the Ming and Qing periods, the meaning of jade was wider. Colored gemstones began to be widely used. Zheng said the stones entered China through the Maritime Silk Road, which was associated with Zheng He's voyages.

The exhibition closes with modern objects, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic medal which combines gold and jade in homage to ancient Chinese traditions.

Zhou Huiwen, director of the Changsha Museum, said gold and jade are still strong in the Chinese people's imagination.

"Both always symbolize status and hope for a better life," he said.

Deputy Director of the Xi'an Museum Wang Ziyi called the jade dragon-pig the most surprising object.

"It is amazing that thousands of years ago people were able to combine the images of dragons and pigs in one form," he said.

In Chinese tradition, there is a saying qi yi zai dao, which means objects contain value. Through this exhibition, gold and jade not only appear as valuable goods, but also as a long trail about power, belief, beauty, and the way a civilization reads itself.