SHANGHAI - Stretching across southern Ningxia, the Liupan Mountains lie between the Hetao Plain and the Guanzhong Plain, serving not only as a natural barrier for the Guanzhong region but also as an intersection for the agrarian and nomadic civilizations in ancient China. Nestled at the foothills of the mountains, Guyuan was a strategic stronghold of the Central Plains and a vital hub along the ancient Silk Roads. The sheer quantity and delicacy of artifacts unearthed in Guyuan reveal the profound cultural fusion between the Central Plains and the northern steppes, attesting to the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures in this Silk Road metropolis and providing clear evidence for the Chinese civilization's unity in diversity.

The oracle bones, bronzes, and jade objects excavated from the sites of Sunjiazhuang and Yaoheyuan in Guyuan bear witness to the establishment and evolution of the Central Plains ritual system in this region during the Western Zhou dynasty. Meanwhile, the animal-patterned ornaments unearthed from sites of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods reflect the dynamic influence of art from the northern steppes.

During the Northern and Southern dynasties, Guyuan flourished as a key city in the network of the Silk Roads. The epitaphs, murals, and painted pottery figurines from the tomb of Li Xian, Great General as Pillar of the State of the Northern Zhou, document the burial customs of the Central Plains. Moreover, exotic treasures found in the tomb, such as the gilded silver ewer and the studded glass bowl, highlight the prosperity of commerce along the Silk Roads.

In the Sui and Tang, Sogdians migrated eastward from Central Asia in large numbers, actively engaging in the political and economic activities of the Central Plains and gradually becoming a part of the broader Chinese nation. The cemetery of the Shis, a family of Sogdian settlers in Guyuan, follows the burial traditions of the Central Plains, with memorial inscriptions written in Chinese affirming their strong sense of national identity. The murals in these tombs carry on the Central Plains traditions in terms of the rendering of clothing and the techniques of painting, while gold facial ornaments and gold coins placed in the mouths of the deceased preserve traces of their ancestral funerary customs.

With the Central Plains to the east, the steppes to the north, and the Silk Roads to the west, Guyuan acted in ancient times as a melting pot of culture and embodied the rich essence of Chinese civilization. The over 300 artifacts on display here, though mere fragments of history, reflect—like a prism—the diverse aspects of Chinese civilization and thereby manifest its inclusiveness. As we gaze at these relics as travelers from far away and long ago, we witness not only cultural interactions in Guyuan but also the Chinese nation's gradual yet dynamic evolution into a unified community.

2025-07-09 - 2025-11-17

Ivory Comb, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 11th century–771 BCE). Unearthed from the Yaoheyuan Site, Pengyang County, Ningxia in 2017 © Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Jade Phoenix, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 11th century–771 BCE). Unearthed from the Yaoheyuan Site, Pengyang County, Ningxia in 2017 © Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Restoration of a Western Zhou Chariot. Length 3.2 m, Width 3.2 m. Based on a Western Zhou chariot unearthed from the Yaoheyuan Site, Pengyang County, Ningxia © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Deer-shaped Gold Ornaments, Warring States period (475-221 BCE). Height 8 cm, Width 6 cm © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Gold Buckle Ornament with the Animal-biting Pattern, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 BCE). Diameter 3.1 cm, Thickness 1.2 cm. Unearthed from Pingle Village, Touying Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1981 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Silver-foiled Chariot Ornaments with the Wolf Pattern, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 BCE)..Length 9.5 cm, Width 6 cm © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Bronze Belt Ornament with the Human-sitting-on-a-camel Pattern, Warring States period (475-221 BCE). Length 6.3 cm, Width 5.1 cm. Unearthed from Zhangjie Village, Caomiao Township, Pengyang County, Ningxia in 1987. © Pengyang County Museum, Guyuan, Ningxia

Female-leopard-and-its-cub-shaped Bronze Buckle Ornament, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 BCE). Length 5.3 cm, Width 5.3 cm. Unearthed from Mount Dabei, Yanglang Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1982 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Bronze Ding (“food vessel”) Inscribed with Characters Zhunuo (name of an ancient county), Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Height 23 cm, Diameter of mouth 17.5 cm, Depth of belly 13.2 cm. Unearthed from Gucheng Commune (now Gucheng Town, Pengyang County), Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1982 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Studded Glass Bowl, 4th year of the Tianhe era (569 CE), Northern Zhou dynasty. Height 8 cm, Diameter of mouth 9.5 cm, Maximum diameter of belly 9.8 cm. Unearthed from the tomb of Li Xian and his wife in Shengou Village, Nanjiao Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1983. © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Gold Finger Ring, 4th year of the Tianhe era (569 CE), Northern Zhou Dynasty. Outer diameter 2.4 cm, Inner diameter 1.75 cm. Unearthed from the tomb of Li Xian and his wife in Shengou Village, Nanjiao Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1983 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Green-glazed Pottery Flask with a Depiction of Musicians and Dancers, Northern Zhou dynasty (557-581 CE). Height 11.3 cm, Width 9.5 cm. Unearthed from the construction site of the Food Bureau of Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1986. © Yuanzhou District Administration of Cultural Relics, Guyuan, Ningxia

Mural of a Warrior Holding a Saber, 5th year of the Daye era (609 CE), Sui dynasty. Height of figure 160 cm. Unearthed from the tomb of Shi Shewu in Xiaomazhuang Village, Nanjiao Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1987 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia

Gold Fangqi (“regional curiosity”) Tablet with the Depiction of a Hunting Scene, Sui dynasty (581-618 CE). Length 18 cm, Width 14 cm, Thickness 1 cm. Unearthed from Gufeng Village, Qingshan Township, Yanchi County, Ningxia in 2006 © Yanchi County Museum, Wuzhong, Ningxia

Blue Round Gemstone Seal. Between the 2nd year of the Qianfeng era and the 1st year of the Xianheng era (667-670 CE), Tang dynasty. Diameter 1.6 cm, Thickness 0.5 cm. Unearthed from the tomb of Shi Hedan and his wife in Xiaomazhuang Village, Nanjiao Township, Guyuan County, Ningxia in 1986 © The Guyuan Museum of Ningxia