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‘A Window to Eastern Chou: Eastern Chou Relics Excavated from Honan’

  • Date:2019-05-15
‘A Window to Eastern Chou: Eastern Chou Relics Excavated from Honan’

The National Museum of History and Academia Sinica's Institute of History and Philology have pooled together their artifact findings from aristocratic tombs of the mid-Spring and Autumn to the early Warring states period (circa 600 – 400 BC) to showcase the cultural diversity of the Eastern Chou era.


Eastern Chou (770 – 221 BC) was a time of great diversity. Prominent thinkers such as Laotzu, Confucius, and Motzu were active this period, leaving behind a significant influence on humankind with their enlightened works. On the other hand, this was a period of turmoil and upheaval.


Driven by greed, rulers of states in the Central Plain found their own excuses for contention and war, and casualties often reached tens of thousands in one battle. Moreover, there were many other political entities on the East Asian continent that were forgotten by classic textbooks. Some were forced to compete and fight, while others were submerged by the great flood of history.


"A Window to Eastern Chou" comprises findings from ancient tombs of the Cheng and Chin States. The National Museum of History's collection is derived from excavations conducted by local Honan organizations in 1923 and 1936, while the Institute of History and Philology conducted archaeological research in Chi and Hui counties from 1935 to 1937.


Visitors will get the chance to observe not only the material culture of the upper class in the Central Plain during the Eastern Chou period, but also the transition of aesthetics from the mid-Spring and Autumn to the early Warring States period. In particular, bronze relics of the Chin State reflect the growth of state power, while goods crafted by tradespeople in the Chin capital of Hsin-t’ien were exceptionally bold and confident.



‘A Window to Eastern Chou: Eastern Chou Relics Excavated from Honan’