Zhejiang Provincial Museum in 4 Words:
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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.
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Thanks! I haven't been to the Fujian Provincial Museum yet!
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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.
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I see, that makes a lot of sense.
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It's a shame. If the Sword of Goujian of Yue were in Zhejiang, it would undoubtedly be the museum's star exhibit.
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Such a pity the sword isn't in Hangzhou!
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You could try the Hangzhou Museum. I just went, and it's pretty good.
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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!
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Now, that's what I call professional insight.
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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.
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Jiangxi should probably thank Marquis Haihun; otherwise, they wouldn't have many major tombs either.
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Isn't the Liangzhu Jade Cong just as impressive as the 'Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow'?
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Well, maybe, perhaps, possibly... um, yeah, you're right.
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The Zhejiang Provincial Museum has half of the 'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' scroll. Isn't that enough to be considered its signature piece?
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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.
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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!
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But I still really liked Zhejiang on this trip. I hope it steps up its game!
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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.
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Suddenly, I understand why the Lin'an District Museum was renamed the Wuyue Kingdom Museum.