Sunday 4 January 2009

The Museum

I'd heard about the museum which is opposite the entrance to Lu Xun walk and made it my business to go there.

It is called Shaoxing Yueguo Heritage Museum and I think is about the Yue Kingdom, which is famous around here.

Sadly there is NO ENGLISH anywhere in the Museum - not on any of the museum pieces, and the staff I spoke to had no English language skills, so it was rather disappointing not to understand the detail about the exhibits.

On paying the fee, one is presented with a rather grand brochure - the English on the front "Existing dust-covered history here let you see civilization's passing And dynasties' substitutions; Your ancestors stories here Make you aftertaste contend for hegemony And talk the world events at will" and on the back "Only in here Can you see more and better finer and nicer Elites of enriched culture and wisdom of Ancient Yue Kingdom's ancestors: Only in here Can you know truer and kinder Wider and deeper Historical and cultural Shaoxing."

Now I don't meant o be disrespectful, but I have no idea what it all means!!!! I wish that after translation from Chinese to English an editor be employed to make some sense of it.


Many of the exhibits are pottery items - with such fascinating items as a "Long Neck Fragrant Fumed Bottle." and a "Lucky Beast Pulse Pillow" There were daggers, swords, urinals, bowls, mirrors and jewelry and on the top floor which has a grand view over Shaoxing was a wonderful display with the "Tomb Figures of Military Forces"

On the second floor I was escorted by a delightful
Chinese lady who had no English skills, but using hand signals endeavoured to show me what the exhibits were all about.

It is a wonderful place and I am sure if I could have read some English information on the exhibits it would have made more sense for me.

The top floor was amazing - quite a grand view over Shaoxing, with an exhibit of Tomb figures of Military Forces during the Tang Dynasty.

The entrance was grand, there was quite a hefty entrance fee (40 RMB) but I'm glad I saw it.


(Do you like the sign - KEEP OFF THE GRASS!)














2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You may be able to find more info on ShaoXing History here:

http://www.shaoxing.gov.cn/en/historyshaoxing/place.htm

Enjoy
ThirdEye
Jan 4th 2009

Di Hill said...

thank you for that information. What I would have liked is understand the information in the Museum under some of the exhibits - next time I will take someon who speaks and reads Chinese.