The Exhibition of Shang and Zhou Bronzes Found in Hu'nan focus on displaying the excellent bronzes unearthed from Hu'nan, with typical regional feature.

    A set of coffins was used for holding the corpse, while an outer coffin contained the set of coffins and funeral objects. The outer coffins of Tombs No.1 and No.3 were well preserved. The outer coffin of Tomb No.1 was composed of a central coffin chamber and four partitions along the four sides. Laid in the central chamber was a set of coffins in four layers. A huge wooden outer coffin containing a magnificent set of coffins bears testimony to the advanced production technology as well as the romantic and mysterious nature of the art and culture of the Western Han Dynasty.

    《the Exhibition of Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in Hu'nan》is located on the northwest of second floor in exhibition building of Hu'nan Provincial Museum, covering an area of 400 square meters and displaying 133 artifacts, and open to the public on January 18, 2003. It shows the ten new great archaeological discoveries in Hu'nan over the past ten years, among which, eight have been included into Ten New Major Archaeological Discoveries in China of the year and three of the eight have been included in the A Hundred Greatest Archaeological Discoveries of the Twentieth Century in China. Furthermore, the excavation of an ancient city site from the Warring States (475 B.C.—221 B.C.) and the Qin（221 B.C.-206B.C.）and Han (206 B.C.- A.D.220) Dynasties in Liye of Longshan County has been regarded as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twenty-first century in China. This exhibition shows rich and various aspects of artifacts, including quantity, variety, form, cultural meaning, historical and scientific value and so on. The montage of press photographs printed out by computers emphasizes the concept of promptness, truthfulness and authority of an “achievement show”, giving visitors a strong on-site sense, and visual impact, as well as a deep impression for modern display art. It is also successfully in harmony with other exhibitions in building.

    Gauze Gown in Plain Color with Triangular Front, early Han Dynasty; length: 160cm; overall length of sleeves: 195cm; width of sleeve: 27cm; width of waist: 48cm; weight: 48 gram; unearthed from Han Tomb No.1 at Mawangdui in 1972.

    The earliest bronzes found in the Hu'nan region so far have come from several Shang Dynasty sites over 3,500 years ago in Tonggushan of Yueyang City and Zaoshi of Shimen County. In the late Shang Dynasty, the Hu'nan region was ushered into the prime time of bronze culture, symbolized by the appearance of a large number of bronzes featuring the Central Plains and special local characteristics. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, there began to appear bronzes with characteristics of southern China and, simultaneously, bronzes of the State of Chu. Because of this situation, during the Warring States Period the Hu'nan region was mainly represented by bronze culture of the State of Chu, with the coexistence of multiple bronze cultures.
    Bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties found in Hu'nan hold an important position in China's bronze culture. The Museum has a fairly large collection of bronzes of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. This exhibition of Shang and Zhou Bronzes Found in Hu'nan displays 72 carefully selected bronzes and 11 jade objects unearthed together with the bronzes. Though only an insignificant portion of our entire collection, this exhibition presents the sequence of development of bronze culture in the Hu'nan region, offers knowledge of the bronze nao (a kind of musical instrument) and animal-shaped bronze utensils, and enriches the connotation of China's bronze culture.