The Zhenguan Reign was the first reflection of the Tang Dynasty's clear politics, prosperous economy, and splendid culture achieved by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. It laid a solid foundation for the continued glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty in later generations, provided practical reference for the dynasty's governance, and had a profound impact on Chinese and even world history.

On January 23, the "Zhenguanjian-Tang Dynasty History and Culture Theme Exhibition" opened at the Shanghai Minhang District Museum. The exhibition presents 132 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, telling the audience about the growth of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, as well as the social outlook and cultural exchanges of the Tang Dynasty under the Zhenguan Reign.

The reporter of The Paper learned that the exhibition is divided into four parts: "The Beginning of the Tang Dynasty", "The Beginning of Prosperity", "The Splendor of the Silk Road" and "The Remaining Charm of the Governance". Among them, the first part mainly tells the story of the early Tang Dynasty, when Li Shimin inherited the throne and started the Zhenguan Reign. The court and the people were in harmony and clear, showing the scene of the monarch and his ministers being of one mind and the importance of both civil and military affairs. The second part shows the prosperous picture of ideological liberation, economic prosperity, cultural prosperity and people's livelihood from the aspects of food, clothing, commercial trade, leisure activities and culture and art. The third part depicts the prosperity of East-West trade brought by the Silk Road, and the harmony and integration of all ethnic groups; the Tang Chang'an City attracted all nations to come and became an international metropolis. The fourth part writes the end of the glorious era. The Zhenguan Reign laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and provided valuable experience for the governance of the country in later generations.

Exhibition View

Exhibition View

Relevant person in charge of Minhang Museum told reporters that the exhibited cultural relics span from the Northern Zhou Dynasty to the middle and late Tang Dynasty, including 132 pieces (sets) of cultural relics such as Yuchi Jingde's tombstone, smiling ladies' painting, painted pottery figurines, and gilded silver pots. Among them, there are 48 first-class cultural relics. They show the historical picture of the early Tang Dynasty from many aspects such as political system, social outlook, cultural exchange, and historical evolution, and give a glimpse into the growth path of Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin and encounter the prosperous chapter of Zhenguan's administration.

Early Tang Dynasty

At the entrance of the exhibition hall, visitors can see the relief sculpture (replica) of the Six Horses of Zhaoling Mausoleum placed by the organizer. The Six Horses of Zhaoling Mausoleum are six majestic war horses that carried the King of Qin on his expeditions to the east and west during the process of the establishment and unification of the Tang Dynasty. In the first year of Wude (618), Li Shimin was named the King of Qin and fought in all directions, conquering half of the country for the Tang Dynasty and opening a new era of Zhenguan. When Zhaoling Mausoleum was built in the tenth year of Zhenguan (636), Li Shimin carved the images of the Six Horses with bluestone and personally wrote a "praise" for them to recall those glorious years.

Exhibition entrance

Entering the exhibition hall, accompanied by the cultural relics in the display cabinets and the texts on the walls, the "Zhenguanjian" special exhibition tells the story of Li Shimin and shows the cultural life of the early Tang Dynasty. Since the Qin Wang period, Li Shimin has focused on knowing people and appointing them to positions based on their talents and abilities, recruiting famous ministers and generals such as Yuchi Jingde, Li Jing, Cheng Yaojin, and Li Ji. After Taizong ascended the throne, under the good atmosphere of opening up the channels for speech and accepting advice with an open mind, the court and the people were in harmony and clear, and wrote a good story of a benevolent monarch and loyal ministers.

Exhibition site, painted figurines of civil and military officials

Military Officer Figurine

Civil servant figurines

With the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, during the Zhenguan period, civil officials and military generals showed their strengths. Civil officials governed the country with wisdom and promoted economic and cultural development; military generals bravely defended the country, expanded the territory, and ensured national peace. At the beginning of the exhibition, visitors can see a series of gilded and painted civil and military official figurines, which show the prosperous scene of the monarch and his subjects working together and giving equal importance to civil and military affairs. At the same time, the colors and costumes of these official figurines also show the official selection system of the Tang Dynasty and the male clothing and official uniform system.

Exhibition site, Yuchi Jingde's tombstone

Tombstone of Yuchi Jingde (partial)

The epitaph of Yuchi Jingde is also an eye-catching cultural relic, located in the center of the exhibition hall. The two epitaphs of Yuchi Jingde are inscribed with "Epitaph of Yuchi Fujun, the Former Situ of the Tang Dynasty, the Governor of Bingzhou, the Supreme Pillar State, the Loyal and Martial Duke of E State" in Feibai script, and are decorated with peony patterns around them. The epitaph is large in size, with crystal-clear stone, delicate carvings, and beautiful text. It is the largest of the 45 epitaphs unearthed from the tombs of the Zhaoling Mausoleum. The strokes of the script engraved on the epitaph cover only differ in height, but not in color. If written on paper, the white lines will appear, so it is called Feibai script.

The beginning of prosperity

The Li Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan period was a difficult entrepreneurial period on the eve of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, implemented the policy of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, and resting the people with extraordinary wisdom and determination, creating a prosperous picture of clear politics, liberated thoughts, prosperous economy, flourishing culture, and people's livelihood. Zhenguan became a glorious era in the history books.

The middle section of the exhibition focuses on depicting the peaceful and prosperous life of the people at that time. At that time, the status of women was significantly improved. They wore gorgeous Tang suits and looked heroic. Riding horses became a fashion, showing freedom and openness. Horseback sports became one of the favorite activities of the Tang people. Hunting and polo were popular among the nobles. These activities not only demonstrated their bravery and skills, but also promoted social and cultural integration. This can also be reflected in the three-color figurines in this part of the display cabinet.

Exhibition site, three-color female horseback terracotta

Exhibition site, white pottery horse with raised hooves

The exhibition site, horse-related artifacts

For example, the three-color female horse-riding figurine unearthed from Li Xian's tomb wears a Hu hat decorated with a pattern of plum blossoms, and the body of the figurine is a blend of red, yellow and green. The female figurine has delicate eyebrows and eyes, a slim figure, and wears Hu clothing. The beauty adds a bit of the man's elegance and heroism, a unique charm, and reflects a strong sense of the times. The sculptor presents the social outlook of the prevalence of Hu style by shaping the image of the royal ladies of the Tang Dynasty. The white pottery hoof-raising horse unearthed from Zhang Shigui's tomb depicts the dynamics and power of the horse. It is reported that this is the first dancing horse unearthed in recorded history.

Exhibition site, dancing figurines

White Porcelain Piyong Inkstone

In addition to the artifacts related to horses, there are also stories related to music. During the Zhenguan period, literature and art reached an unprecedented prosperity, and artistic achievements such as poetry, music, calligraphy and painting were unique in Chinese history. Among them, music and dance combined the strengths of music and dance from the north and south, allowing the song and dance art of the Tang Dynasty to be integrated and developed. The many music and dance figurines in the display cabinets have different expressions, which are a true portrayal of the music and dance of the Tang Dynasty. Some have round cheeks, frowning eyebrows and straight eyes, as if they are playing musical instruments vigorously; some wave their arms, with fluttering clothes, as if they are beating bells and drums wildly. The band was an important part of the court culture at that time, adding fun to the entertainment activities of royal nobles and officials.

Exhibition site, Tao Chiwei

Here, the organizer also described the city layout of the Tang Dynasty on the exhibition wall. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Chang'an City developed into a world-famous metropolis, the largest, most magnificent, and most standardized capital at that time. In this section, the key cultural relics that visitors can see are pottery chimeras. This cultural relic consists of two sections, upper and lower, hollow, with a mortise and tenon joint in the middle. The upper part is the tail tip, which is shaped like a chimera's tail. The lower part has four small round holes in the middle of the four sides, and the sides are carved into feathers. Based on this roof decoration component, we can infer that the towers at that time were tall, magnificent, and magnificent.

During the Zhenguan period, the sound of camel bells on the Silk Road witnessed the prosperity of trade between the East and the West. The Tang Dynasty government attached great importance to foreign trade and set up many trading houses along the way to warmly welcome foreign merchants from afar. Chinese silk, porcelain, paper and other goods were exported to West Asia and even Europe. At the same time, foreign merchants from afar also introduced rare animals and exotic goods to China, promoting economic exchanges and cultural integration between the two sides.

The exhibition site, camel-related artifacts

The exhibition site, camel-related artifacts

Exhibition site, Huangdi drinking brocade

In the display case, visitors can see the Yellow Ground Drinking Brocade, which depicts two people in Roman costumes, drinking from horn cups facing each other. This is a brocade woven in the Tang Dynasty, which is of great significance for the study of cultural exchanges between China and the West.

Exhibition site, Playful picture

Exhibition site, Smiling Lady

The Remains of Zhenguan

In the late Zhenguan period, Li Chengqian and Li Tai competed for the position of crown prince, and the brothers turned against each other. Li Chengqian was deposed for his failed rebellion, and Li Tai also fell out of favor for framing his brother. Emperor Taizong of Tang finally appointed the generous Prince of Jin Li Zhi as the crown prince to avoid court disputes and lay a stable foundation for the future of the Tang Dynasty. Not long after, Emperor Taizong of Tang, a wise ruler, finally completed his life journey, and a glorious era came to an end. The Zhenguan Reign laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, with harmonious politics, prosperous industries, and brilliant culture, and also provided valuable experience for future generations to govern the country.

Exhibition site, tri-color bowl

Exhibition site, three-color seven-star plate

The exhibition site, painted terracotta warriors and painted glazed pottery tomb guardians

The painted Heavenly King figurine was unearthed from the Linchuan Princess Tomb. The Heavenly King figurine wears a helmet and a bright armor, with raised eyebrows and angry eyes, and a fierce and majestic expression. Under his feet is a human-faced ghost. The little ghost is terrified and lying on the ground unable to resist. Its painful struggle is extremely vivid. This Heavenly King figurine is tall, finely crafted, and vivid. The painted glazed pottery tomb guardian beast was unearthed from the tomb of Concubine Wei. The tomb guardian beast is in a squatting position, with two ears erect on the top of the head, a wide mouth with fangs, wings on the shoulders, a mane fin on the back, and a vertical tail. The whole body is painted, and the mane and fins are covered with gold. The tomb guardian beast is a kind of tomb funerary object, which is specially set for the dead to guard the tomb and ward off evil spirits. It plays the role of guarding the tomb owner, so that the tomb chamber is not disturbed and the soul of the tomb owner ascends to heaven safely. It plays the role of the "protector god" of the tomb chamber.

Exhibition site, bronze mirror with phoenix and beast on the edge of sunflower

The exhibit at the end of the exhibition is a bronze mirror with a sunflower-shaped edge and a phoenix and a mythical beast. The edge of the object is in the shape of a sunflower leaf, and the back of the mirror is cast with a phoenix and a mythical beast facing each other. The phoenix spreads its wings and is about to fly, while the mythical beast has four limbs in the air, which is very dynamic and decorated with flowing cloud patterns. The mirror surface is bright and shiny, and the color is as white as silver.

There is a paragraph of text on the exhibition wall to serve as a summary: Use copper as a mirror to adjust your clothes and appearance; use the past as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of things; use people as a mirror to understand gains and losses.

It is reported that at the opening of the exhibition, Minhang Museum will launch the "Prosperous National Music - Concerts in the Museum" exhibition project, and sincerely invite the professional performance team - "Qingcheng National Music" Orchestra to perform 8 concerts for the public during the exhibition. Through the live performance of classic pieces such as "Prosperous National Music", the rich and colorful and long-standing music culture of the Tang Dynasty will be reproduced.

Exhibition opening performance

Note: The exhibition is jointly guided by the CPC Shanghai Minhang District Committee and the Shanghai Minhang District People's Government, co-organized by the China Cultural Relics Exchange Center, the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Minhang District Committee, and the Shanghai Minhang District Culture and Tourism Bureau, undertaken by the Shanghai Minhang District Museum, and strongly supported and co-organized by the Zhaoling Museum, China National Museum of Ethnic Minorities, Shanxi Museum, Inner Mongolia Museum, Liaoning Provincial Museum, Gansu Provincial Museum, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Museum, Ningxia Guyuan Museum, Zhenjiang Museum, Taiyuan Museum, Maijishan Grottoes Art Research Institute, Hangzhou Lin'an District Wuyue Culture Museum, and Fufeng County Museum.

The exhibition will run until May 5th.