To promote China-U.S. cultural exchanges, foster mutual learning among civilizations, and present the rich heritage of Jing–Chu culture to a global audience, the exhibition “Phoenix Kingdoms: The Last Splendor of China’s Bronze Age” opened at 10:00 a.m. local time on April 19, 2024, at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, co-organized by the Hubei Provincial Museum and the Asian Art Museum, with support from the Jingzhou, Suizhou, Yichang, and Xiangyang museums.
The exhibition is on view at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco from April to July 2024.
The 263 pieces or sets of artifacts sent to the United States include bronzes, lacquered woodwares, jades and silk textiles, reflecting the brilliant culture of the Zeng and Chu states in the Hubei region during the Bronze Age. Among them, 50 works are classified as top-tier cultural relics, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the total exhibits.
This exhibition is the largest one featuring the greatest number of precious cultural relics that China has held in the United States in recent years.
Li Qun, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of PRC and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, declared the exhibition open.
London Breed, Mayor of San Francisco, and Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. sent congratulatory letters.
Zhou Maoyi, Deputy Consul General of China in San Francisco, Guan Xin, Grade 2 Inspector of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, and Xu Jie (Jay Xu), Director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks.
On behalf of California State Treasurer Fiona Ma—the fourth highest-ranking official in the state—Stephanie, Acting Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, presented congratulatory certificates to Jay Xu, Director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Zhang Xiaoyun, Director of the Hubei Provincial Museum, and Zhang Fan, Head of the Chinese Art Department at the Asian Art Museum.
Minister Li Qun extended his congratulations on the opening of the exhibition. He noted that the exhibition presents the magnificent and romantic charm of Chinese civilization to American audiences through the language of culture and art. Supported by in-depth academic research and the latest archaeological discoveries, it highlights the continuity, unity, peacefulness, inclusiveness, and innovation of Chinese civilization.
Minister Li Qun expressed his sincere hope that Chinese and American cultural institutions will work closely together, uphold a vision of civilizations based on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, and jointly write a new chapter in the colorful and mutually enriching people-to-people cultural exchanges between China and the United States.
Mayor London Breed, on behalf of the citizens of San Francisco, welcomed the exhibition to the Asian Art Museum. She thanked both Chinese and American teams for their contributions to this once-in-a-millennium exhibition. She remarked that the artworks on display are truly breathtaking, and that she feels fortunate to be among the first audiences in the United States to experience the splendor of China’s Bronze Age.
Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., extended warm congratulations on the opening of the exhibition. He noted that the exhibition represents a continuation of the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state during their San Francisco meeting, as well as a key event marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. Ambassador Xie Feng highly commended the museums for their unremitting efforts in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, as well as their active contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Guan Xin, Grade 2 Inspector of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hubei Province, noted that the Hubei Provincial Museum and the Asian Art Museum have been playing an important bridging role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and the U.S. The current exhibition marks the first collaboration between the two museums. When two sources of excellence come together, they enhance one another—a shared vision full of promise. He sincerely hopes that the two museums will take this collaboration as an opportunity to further enhance the role of museums in cultural exchange and dialogue, and work together to provide the people of China and the United States with richer cultural experiences and a broader platform for communication.
“Civilizations have become richer and more colorful with exchanges and mutual learning.”
In November 2023, President Xi met with President Biden in San Francisco. The two heads of state reached a series of important common understandings on developing China-U.S. relations and set forth the “San Francisco Vision,” which further charts the course for the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations.
Supported by in-depth academic research and the latest archaeological discoveries, the exhibition “Phoenix Kingdoms: The Last Splendor of China’s Bronze Age” offers audiences a spectacular visual feast and an in-depth understanding of the magnificent and romantic Jing-Chu culture of China’s Bronze Age.
The exhibition will encourage the people of China and the United States to use culture as a bridge and engage in more exchanges with an open mind, so as to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind in the new era and compose a new and splendid chapter of “mutual appreciation for the beauty and diversity of civilizations.”
