Lacquer tiger stand, ca. 300 BCE, Hubei Provincial Museum; Bozhong bronze bell, ca. 1000 BCE, Suizhou Municipal Museum, courtesy Asian Art Museum.

San Francisco — Deep beneath our own world, a Chinese legend tells of a villager who discovers a forgotten realm of riches and beauty, endless feasts, entertainment and music, a realm entered through a mysterious crack in a hillside, a crack which can never be found twice ... until now.

As in the legend, Phoenix Kingdoms: the Last Splendors of China’s Bronze Age beckons audiences in through a jagged, gallery - spanning portal, on the other side of which a realm of treasures from a lost civilization awaits. On view exclusively at the Asian Art Museum April 19 – July 22, 2024, Phoenix Kingdoms showcases more than 150 works from China’s most important new archaeological discoveries in exciting new ways that activate the senses, invite interaction, and put visitors at the center of the story.

At the heart of the exhibition is the mythical phoenix, worshipped by the people of the southern frontiers of the Zhou dynasty that flourished nearly 3,000 years ago. Revived here through digital projections that respond to visitors’ presence, totemic avatars guide us through the exhibition, appearing and disappearing, vanishing and — as with the phoenix — being reborn or rejuvenating in a new location, inviting continuous movement and a sense of endless encounter.

Echoing voices in English and Chinese introduce digital displays of excavation photos and archival materials and throughout the exhibition spaces evocative sounds remind visitors of the otherworldly nature of some of the ritual elements recently unearthed: bronze bells and ceremonial drums, libation vessels and luxurious lacquerwares, along with luminous jades and elaborate textiles for burials and offerings.

"Like the phoenix, the past is never gone, but comes alive again through these interactive and subtly immersive theatrical experiences, seamlessly infused with technology," says Garance Marneur, the museum’s first - ever director of experience design. “This pioneering endeavor aims to unveil hidden layers of storytelling, creating an unparalleled tapestry of exploration and surprise. This means the Asian Art Museum is inviting visitors to transcend the ordinary and immerse themselves in a sensory odyssey. To journey from the darkness of the cave - like crack to the lightness of a phoenix is to undergo a profound transformation, leaving one uplifted and activated with curiosity and wonder — that's the thrill of discovery we want to convey."

Additional major exhibition elements include:

• Dozens of Chinese national treasures which are on public display for the first time ever.

• Rare luxury wares and textiles that were previously too fragile to be excavated, but which can now be shared with audiences thanks to major recent scientific advances.

• Thematic galleries that guide visitors through the facets of aristocratic life and afterlife beliefs in Bronze - Age China, from shamanistic rituals, to the rigors of warfare, to the technologically splendid devices, such as wine coolers and incense burners, that continue to delight our senses and inspire our imaginations thousands of years later.

April 19, 2024 – July 22, 2024

Animal face mask, Western Zhou period (ca. 1050-771 BCE), approx. 1000 BCE. Excavated from Zeng tomb no. 65 at Yejiashan, Suizhou, 2011 © Suizhou Municipal Museum.

Base of a drum stand, Excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Leigudun tomb no. 1, Suizhou, 1978 Warring States period (475–221 bce),ca. 433 bce, Bronze, Hubei Provincial Museum.

Body armor and helmet, Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE, Leather, lacquer, and fabric, © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Conjoined cups with phoenix design. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 316 BCE. Lacquer on wood and bamboo with pigments. Excavated from Chu tomb no. 2 at Baoshan, Jingmen, 1986 © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Double-walled square jian-fou_Zhang, Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 433 BCE, © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Flat-bodied hu bottle; Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE (LB still ca.). Lacquer on wood with pigments. Excavated from Chu tomb no. 1 at Jiuliandun, Zaoyang, 2002 © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Funerary robe with phoenix and constellation patterns. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE. Silk gauze with embroidery © Jingzhou Municipal Museum.

Gold cup with twin handles. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 433 BCE. Gold © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Lamp and censer in shape of beast. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 400 BCE. Bronze. Excavated from Zeng Wenfengta tomb no. 18 at Yidigang, Suizhou, 2012 © Suizhou Municipal Museum.

Lei wine vessel with dragon-Overall_Zhang, Western Zhou period (ca. 1050-771 BCE), approx. 1000 BCE, Excavated from Zeng tomb no. 111 at Yejiashan, Suizhou, 2011, © Suizhou Municipal Museum.

Lidded box in the shape of conjoined pigs. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 340 BCE. Lacquer on wood with pigments. Excavated from Chu tomb no. 2 at Tianxingguan, Jingzhou, 2000 © Jingzhou Municipal Museum.

Lidded dou food vessel; Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 433 BCE (LB still ca.). Excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, Leigudun tomb no. 1, Suizhou, 1978 © Hubei Provincial Museum

Lidded fanglei wine vessel, Western Zhou period (ca. 1050-771 BCE), 1000-900 BCE, Excavated from E Yangzishan tomb no. 4 at Anju, Suizhou, 2007 © Suizhou Municipal Museum.

Lidded you wine vessel with beast decoration and flanges, Western Zhou period (ca. 1050-771 BCE), 1000-900 BCE, Excavated from E Yangzishan tomb no. 4 at Anju, Suizhou, 2007 © Suizhou Municipal Museum.

Pendant in the shape of three men standing on a beast, Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Pendant with spilt-bodied dragon and twin phoenixes. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE. Nephrite. Excavated from Chu tomb no. 1 at Jiuliandun, Zaoyang, 2002 © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Quiver cover with designs of beasts and birds. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), 400-300 BCE. Lacquer on wood with pigments © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Set of five shengding cauldrons. Bronze. © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Stand with openwork designs of phoenixes, deer, snakes, and mythical beasts. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 300 BCE. Lacquer on wood. Excavated from Chu tomb no. 2 at Jiuliandun, Zaoyang, 2002 © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Standing crane-like creature with deer antlers, Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 433 BCE © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Tripod he wine vessel of Marquis Jian; Western Zhou period (ca. 1050-771 BCE), approx. 1000 BCE. Excavated from Zeng tomb no. 28 at Yejiashan, Suizhou, 2013 © Hubei Provincial Museum.

Winged figure standing on bird. Warring States period (475-221 BCE), approx. 340 BCE.Lacquer on wood. Excavated from Chu tomb. no. 2 at Tianxingguan, Jingzhou, 2000 © Hubei Provincial Museum.