2011-9 Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, China
Hello All,
Upon landing at Wuhan in the late afternoon we boarded a tour bus that took us to our next destination--the Hubei Provincial Museum. Wuhan is a small city by Chinese standards with a population of nine million and another six million in its urban area. It is the capital of Hubei Province. The museum exhibits cultural and historical relics excavated in and around Hubei Province that reflect the rich and centuries-old culture of the Chu Kingdom during the Warring States Period 476 - 221 BC.
Upon landing at Wuhan in the late afternoon we boarded a tour bus that took us to our next destination--the Hubei Provincial Museum. Wuhan is a small city by Chinese standards with a population of nine million and another six million in its urban area. It is the capital of Hubei Province. The museum exhibits cultural and historical relics excavated in and around Hubei Province that reflect the rich and centuries-old culture of the Chu Kingdom during the Warring States Period 476 - 221 BC.
Of major significance of the
museum is that it houses the artifacts of the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. The
tomb is an important archaeological find in Suizhou, Hubei, China, dating to
around 433 BC. Zeng was a minor state, subordinate to its powerful neighbor,
Chu, during the Warring States Period.
The People’s Liberation Army accidentally discovered the tomb in 1977 while excavating a hill to build a factory. The tomb was constructed of large wooden timbers and covers an area of 220 square meters. It was divided into four separate chambers. One chamber contained military artifacts; the second was the burial location of Marquis Yi, who was buried in a wooden lacquered coffin nested inside a larger lacquered coffin. Also contained in this chamber were eight other coffins that held the remains of eight women. The third chamber contained thirteen coffins that held the remains of thirteen additional women. The fourth chamber contained a large ensemble of ritual musical instruments, including a set of 65 bianzhong (bronze bells).
Below is the large outer coffin of Marquis Yi. All these valuable exhibits are protected behind glass. It made them a challenge to photograph.
The People’s Liberation Army accidentally discovered the tomb in 1977 while excavating a hill to build a factory. The tomb was constructed of large wooden timbers and covers an area of 220 square meters. It was divided into four separate chambers. One chamber contained military artifacts; the second was the burial location of Marquis Yi, who was buried in a wooden lacquered coffin nested inside a larger lacquered coffin. Also contained in this chamber were eight other coffins that held the remains of eight women. The third chamber contained thirteen coffins that held the remains of thirteen additional women. The fourth chamber contained a large ensemble of ritual musical instruments, including a set of 65 bianzhong (bronze bells).
Below is the large outer coffin of Marquis Yi. All these valuable exhibits are protected behind glass. It made them a challenge to photograph.
This is the burial coffin of
Marquis Ki that was inside the coffin above.
The bianzhong bells unearthed
in the tomb of Marcuis Yi shocked historians from around the world because they
suggest that as early as 2,400 years ago, Chinese music had already developed
to a very high standard. This bell set is considered one of the finest
artifacts from the Warring States Period. The 65 gold-inlaid, bronze bells
cover five octaves and range in size from eight inches high (5 lbs) to five
feet high (448 lbs). The bells were hung on a bronze and wood frame in three
tiers according to size. They can still produce exact musical scales and
melodious tones of good quality. It required five musicians to play them. They
were struck with wooden mallets to produce tones. Each bell produces two
distinct tones depending on whether it is struck at the center or the side.
According to an inscription on the central bell, it was a gift from King Hui of
Chu and was cast in 433 B C.
The following photos are of the bianzhong. Isn’t it amazing that they were cast over 2400 years ago!
The following photos are of the bianzhong. Isn’t it amazing that they were cast over 2400 years ago!
Other musical instruments in
the tomb included a 32-piece set of stone chimes, various string instruments,
including the twenty-five stringed se, ten-stringed gin and five-stringed zhu.
It also contained pan flutes, flutes and the special sheng, each made from a
one-piece body through a time-consuming procedure; a gourd would be placed
inside a mold that held the desired shape of the instrument. Once the gourd
matured, it would take the shape of the mold that conformed to the desired
musical properties of the instrument. Within the tomb were carved musical
texts. This record of musical texts is 1,800 years earlier than that of the
western world.
Following is the stone chimes.
Following is the stone chimes.
About 15 thousand artifacts
were discovered in the tomb, such as large quantities of bronzes, sacrificial
vessels, instruments, weapons, gold wares, jades, carriage and horse
implements, painted wooden and bamboo objects, and some bamboo slips (ancient
writing material).
Below is a tableware gold bowl. It looked more like bronze to us, but what do we know. It is the heaviest pre-Qin gold ware ever unearthed. Note the gold spoon beside it--and you thought the Chinese only used chopsticks.
Below is a tableware gold bowl. It looked more like bronze to us, but what do we know. It is the heaviest pre-Qin gold ware ever unearthed. Note the gold spoon beside it--and you thought the Chinese only used chopsticks.
And below is a gold cup.
These are bronze cooking pots.
Note the chain handles and the intricate metal work on the side and top of
them. It is really mind boggling to think how old these pieces are.
While at the museum we were
privileged to hear musicians play replica instruments of the ancient originals.
We found it quite interesting.
Below is a lady playing a se
and another playing the stone chimes.
This gentleman is striking one
of the larger bells.
In this photo the lady is
playing a flute and the gentleman is playing a sheng.
Departing the museum our bus
took us to the pier where we boarded the new Viking Emerald for our six-day
Yangtze River cruise. Barb asked our tour guide Joshua if there were many
people living on the banks of the river? He kind of smiled and then said, “The
first and second longest rivers in the world are the Nile and Amazon. One
primarily flows through deserts and the other through jungles. The population
on their banks is rather limited. The Yangtze River is the third longest river
in the world and is considered the Mother River of China because the needs of
the people travel back and forth on the river. It divides the northern and
southern parts of the country.” Then he stated, “There are more people living
on the banks of the Yangtze River than in the entire United States of
America!” Kind of hard to fathom isn’t
it.
Upon boarding the ship we were greeted by crew members playing the drums and a lively dragon.
Upon boarding the ship we were greeted by crew members playing the drums and a lively dragon.
It was a great afternoon in
Wuhan--one in which we gained a lot of knowledge about ancient Chinese culture.
It is amazing to say the least.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns