Zhejiang Provincial Museum in 4 Words:

[Christina Altenwerth]

Sure! Here's the translation of the article with a lively style suitable for foreign readers:

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To be honest, my impression of Zhejiang Provincial Museum on this visit was just "meh." I felt like I was only having a cursory look at the exhibits without truly appreciating their essence.

• Permanent History Galleries: "Pretty big, but not much to offer"

  • The chronicle starts with an incredible time back in 8000 BC! Wow!
    • Did you know? At this time, human civilizations were only starting to emerge in many parts of the world!
  • But as for the important dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing (critical periods in China's history when Zhejiang flourished), I felt they were swept up with just a few sentences. This was far from satisfying.

• Traveler Note️ About the Exhibits

  • "Copies" everywhere:
    • I must admit, there were so many labeled as "copies", it quite surprised me.
    • Where are all the real treasures hiding? It would have been great if they were displayed or borrowed from other places.
  • Lack of star exhibits to marvel at:
    • After roughly 2 hours of wandering around, there didn't seem to be a treasure that could catch my eyes or really astound me.
    • (An example would be a museum treasure like Gansu Museum's famous "Cavorting Horse").
  • Update: That copper dancing figure (which, if you've seen the photos, is the "Dancing Musician Figure" in figure 3 & 4) is truly wonderful, absolutely worth your visit! But the issue here is that there aren't enough exhibits like this on show. (A little emotional)

Therefore, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, can't you try harder? Your exhibition title "Zhejiang For Ten Thousand Years" elevated my expectations!

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Update on May 6th:

• For "Ten Thousand Years of Zhejiang," this is not inaccurate, but quite precise.
  • Cultural Tip: This is because in the nearby Xianghu Lake, Hangzhou, a prehistoric site called "Kanghu Bridge" was discovered. This proves that around 8000 BC, there were already human activities in this area of Zhejiang, thus the 'ten thousand years' is based on facts.
• My statement above, "Oh my god," was just a casual exclamation, sort of hyperbolic, please understand.

#museum #museumworthvisiting #zhejiangprovincemuseum #hangtravel #maydaystatusreport

[Miss Angela Cormier]

Let me put it this way, even as a Zhejiang local, I rarely visit the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. So far, the only provincial museum I've encountered that's more underwhelming is the Fujian Provincial Museum.

[Rafael Rau]

Thanks! I haven't been to the Fujian Provincial Museum yet!

[Glenn Ryan PhD]

Zhejiang has very few major tombs. The largest one, the Qian Wang Tomb in Lin'an, was even robbed, though thankfully the artifacts weren't lost. The archaeological sites are decent, but the excavated artifacts can't compare to those from Central Plains sites like Erlitou and Yinxu. Its ability to acquire items from society lags far behind the Shanghai Museum, and there aren't many great finds underground either. It's really tough to build a strong collection.

[Hannah Rogahn]

I see, that makes a lot of sense.

[Colin Cronin]

It's a shame. If the Sword of Goujian of Yue were in Zhejiang, it would undoubtedly be the museum's star exhibit.

[Byron Larkin]

Such a pity the sword isn't in Hangzhou!

[Anita Wiza]

You could try the Hangzhou Museum. I just went, and it's pretty good.

[Israel Koss]

The permanent special exhibitions at the ZPM's Gushan branch (special mention to the lacquerware exhibit, which is excellent in both exhibits and descriptions) are better than the general history exhibit at the Zhijiang branch. The general history exhibit only does a good job with the Majiabang, Songze, and Liangzhu culture sections; the rest isn't well-prioritized. The Hangzhou Museum does a much better job with its general history, with beautiful displays and well-balanced detail – highly recommended. The Zhejiang University Museum of Art and Archaeology offers a deeper dive into the aesthetics and artistic composition of ancient food vessels, ritual objects, and funerary items. The China National Tea Museum provides very detailed information about tea and has excellent interactive designs. As a corporate drone in an IP-rich place, I love visiting Hangzhou on weekends!

[Justin Zieme]

Now, that's what I call professional insight.

[Dr. Danny Bayer]

I've visited almost all the provincial museums across the country, and as a Zhejiang local, I still find the Zhejiang Provincial Museum disappointing. When I visited the Henan Provincial Museum, I was so moved I almost cried – it was that breathtaking. The new ZPM building just feels like a nicely decorated big house. Another museum in a similar boat was the new Jiangxi Museum four years ago, which had just finished renovations but hadn't moved its exhibits in yet.

[Franklin Weimann IV]

Jiangxi should probably thank Marquis Haihun; otherwise, they wouldn't have many major tombs either.

[Steve Beatty]

Isn't the Liangzhu Jade Cong just as impressive as the 'Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow'?

[Ms. Alberta Moen]

Well, maybe, perhaps, possibly... um, yeah, you're right.

[Miss Angela Cormier]

The Zhejiang Provincial Museum has half of the 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' scroll. Isn't that enough to be considered its signature piece?

[Dr. Wade Boyer]

Most people can't fully appreciate 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' and wouldn't see it as particularly special compared to other ink wash landscape paintings, of which there's a huge number in existence.

[Jo Douglas]

Finally, someone said it! I was dumbfounded after my visit. Like, 'Is this it?' It's a fact that they lack major artifacts, but what's worse is the crude exhibition design and confusing layout. And this is Zhejiang! Zhejiang, a province renowned for its culture!

[Benjamin Dooley]

But I still really liked Zhejiang on this trip. I hope it steps up its game!

[Jeannie Parisian]

Shanghai has financial resources and donations, resulting in countless important artifacts. Hangzhou has Southern Song imperial kilns and Longquan celadon, but unfortunately, few top-tier pieces; the Southern Song imperial kiln items are mostly repaired fragments. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum also lacks significant bronze artifacts, so it can't compare with northern museums. Poor ZPM can't match Shanghai's wealth or the north's archaeological finds, and it didn't even manage to secure any 'miseci' (secret color) porcelain.

[Miss Angela Cormier]

Suddenly, I understand why the Lin'an District Museum was renamed the Wuyue Kingdom Museum.