A VISIT to the Zhezhiang Provincial Museums by the Seminar on Omni Media Journalists from African English Speaking Countries ignited lots of conversations on the bus as the team travelled from Jinhua, to Guangzhou and finally to Hangzhou.
We adored the green vegetation, lakes, were amazed by the safe driving on the four-lane carriageways, which narrowed down to two lanes as they entered cities.
Moreso under- and over-ground roads were in their own right stunning, including the enticing magnificent multi-storey buildings.
The green vegetation along the way from Jinhua to Guangzhou soothed and refreshed us from the fatigue that we experienced along the nearly 200km journey we travelled.
The huge complex of the Zhezhiang Provincial Museums has several cultural shops for traditional and contemporary food, art and craft, which makes the place condusive for lunchtime and family gatherings and outings.
It is common that galleries and museums exhibit narratives and relics of a people in spite of the obvious challenge to understand the significance the material holds for future generations.
Displays like the raw jade stone, which is carved into several items, took us through the old tools, wooden anvils and processes which are now highly modernised.
Carbonised rice, snail shells, daggers, narratives and audio visual displays provided a blend of tradition and modernity, making a persuasive intergenerational appeal.
“The Zhezhiang Provincial Museums has artefacts dating back to 11 000 years presented either as multimedia narratives or in physical form,” a tour guide said.
“We collect the cultural relics from the society and archaeologists are important because they retrieve valuable artefacts and information that societies might have been neglecting.”
In the opening lesson, professor Zhang Genfu, of the Seminar for Omni Media Journalists from African English Speaking Countries, hinted that the Chinese traditional philosophy contains richness and scientific spirits, adding that emphasis is placed on harmony, openness and inclusivity for learning from other cultures and pragmatism.
“Pragmatism emphasises the balance between nature and society and highlights the pragmatic value of Confucianism strive for self-excellence (sic),” he said.
Summaries of some narratives and displays:
Festival for Bathing, Praying and Drinking
On the third day of the third month in the ninth year of Yonghe reign of the Eatern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi and his friends feasted by the water at Lanting in Shaoxing, drinking wine and composing poems, as recorded in the preface to Lanting.
Charm of the Six Dynasties
During the Wei and Jin dynasties, discussions on metaphysics and idle talk were prevalent.
People pursued individual freedom and advocated a return to nature, leaving the door wide open for artistic independence and diversity.
The emergence of Wang Xizhi, the “sage of calligraphy”, and Xie Lingyun, the “Poet of Land Scape”, made Zhezhiang hometown to the “World’s First Running Script” and the cradle of Chinese Landscape Poetry.
Calligraphy of the Six Dynasties
Calligraphy of the Six Dynasties assumed an important place in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
During this period, calligraphic styles such as regular script and running script competed for splendour and the prevalence of the graphic theory also contributed to the prosperity of the art of calligraphy.