A G: Shanghai - Shanghai Museum by Gordon 上海博物馆

Shanghai Museum

- Gordon

Shanghai Day 5

Shanghai Laoshan Hostel, Shanghai Museum

Shanghai museum is full of wonderful things, from ceramics to bronze, jade, coins, paintings, and calligraphy. There is everything you need to know about ancient China.

Milky white marble statue

We walked to the museum entrance from our hotel. We saw milky white marble statue. When we went in, the wave of coolness relaxed us. The museum is really huge.

Fu Yi Gong (Wine Vessel)
Late Shang (13th-11th century B.C.)

Zun (Wine Vessel)
with ox head and
animal mask
Late Shang
(13th-11th century B.C.)

Mu Gui Yan (Steamer)
Wester Zhou
(11th century B.C.)

We first visited the bronzes. All of them were mainly wine vessels. I still wonder why people liked drinking wine in the olden days. Later, the bronze items they made became more useful, like steamers, pots, and weapons. Weapons includes axes, swords, and daggers. The museum actually carried ancient bronze instruments. The Bells of Marquis Su of Jin is one of them. It was made in mid 9th century B.C.. It amazed me that the ancient people calculated the music notes correctly.

knife with raised bosses pattern
Western Zhou
11th century B.C.

Ge (Dagger-axe)
with animal mask
late Shang
13th-11th century B.C.

Drum stand
with openwork coiled dragon design
Spring and Autumn
(6century-476 B.C.)

picture of
drum stand (left)
with a drum

Chinese people use the method: clay molds, stack-casting, and metal molds to make bronzes starting Shang and Zhou periods (13th century B.C.). Most Shang and Zhou bronzes were cast in clay molds. I cannot believe that people can made beautiful bronzes that early. It takes six steps to turn the core into a beautiful object.

1. making a clay model,
baking the clay model
and copying the outer piece

2. engraving the patterns
on the outer molds

3. making two clay cores (inner colds)
after assembling the outer molds
covered a layer of clay

4. making a clay mold from
a model with inscriptions
and inlaying it into the clay core

5. assembling the molds and
pasting some clay mixed
with straw or chaff

6. baking the molds before casting,
cleaning up and polishing after casting

Model of Daigoji Pagoda

Head of Lokapala stone
618-907 A.D.

There is a five story model of a Daigoji Pagoda. You might want to ask what is that thing above that roof. It is a lightening rod but I think the design make it look better. There are a few more Buddha. Most of them only had heads left. I think the head was stolen by tomb raiders. And some one eventually donated them to the museum.

Buddha stele stone
Northern Qi, 550-577 A.D.

Green Glazed Pottery
Watching Tower
Eastern Han, A.D. 25-220

Painted pottery pot with
swirls pattern
Banshan Type of
Majiayao Culture
2600-2300 B.C.

Celadon jar with modeled
human figurines
Wuzhou ware
Wu state of Three Kingdoms
222-280 A.D.

Ancient Chinese people used pottery to have a settled life as they used fire for living. People burnt mud or clay by fire. They used that trick to make their daily utensils. Later, people started to add colors to the pottery for decoration. The museum displayed a pot with swirling patterns. It was made in 2600-2300 B.C. and was still very colorful. There was a cool celadon jar with modeled human figures. This one was made in 222 to 280 A.D..

Double-ring Shaped Bi (disc)
with Grain Pattern
Warring States (475-221 B.C.)

Jade dragon
Warring States
475-221 B.C.

There is a whole section of jade exhibition. The double-ring shaped Bi, a jade disc, is the most famous one. It was made in Warring States (475-221 B.C.). It is a flat round piece in shape of a disc with a hole in the center. It was originally used as a ritual vessel to offer sacrifice to the God of heaven, but gradually lost its ritual function in thousands of years' development. Don't forget to take a look at the jade dragon. It is a cute little one. Dragon is an imaginative animal believed as the God of Water in Chinese tradition. Starting from the Hongshan culture (30th century B.C.), shape of dragon became representing power and good luck. A jade wine cup and a jade blade of an ax were also very charming.