A newly built museum has opened to the public at the 4,300-year-old Taosi relics site in north China's Shanxi Province, with exhibits that shed light on the life and culture of ancient inhabitants.
Located in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, the Taosi site is believed to be the ruins of the capital city during the period of Yao and Shun -- two sage emperors dating back more than 4,100 years. The Yaodu district in Linfen is home to the temple and mausoleum of Yao.
Covering an area of 2.8 million square meters, the Taosi site has seen an excavation of about 30,000 square meters since 1978.
The Taosi culture emerged in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, succeeding the Liangzhu culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Both sites provide significant clues to the study of early states and the origins of the 5,000-year-long Chinese civilization.
Covering an area of about 5,000 square meters, the Taosi Site Museum showcases 230 artifacts, including pottery, bronze ware, wooden artifacts, jade ceremonial objects, and various other types of utensils, representing all categories of cultural relics from the Taosi site.
One of the notable exhibits displays a Taosi dragon-patterned colored pottery plate, a valuable artifact crucial in studying the origins and related aspects of dragon worship in the Central Plains region.
"The dragon image at the Taosi site combines various animals and forms a new creature, which does not exist in reality. This is a crucial feature of the Chinese dragon. The dragon-patterned artifact was unearthed from the grand tombs of the Taosi site, which indicates that it is related to the highest power at that time, and the dragon pattern is a symbol of social hierarchy," said Gao Jiangtao, a researcher from the Institute of Archaeology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
In addition, the Taosi site has also unearthed 29 musical instruments including drums, stone chimes, and pottery bells, many of which were exclusive funerary items reserved for nobility.
"This is a reconstructed drum called 'Tuogu'. It is made by scraping the bark of a natural tree trunk, hollowing out the interior, and covering it with crocodile skin for decoration. This tradition dates back over 4,000 years ago to the Taosi culture, signifying the development of ceremonial music civilization," said Cao Huihui, a guide at the museum.
Apart from the museum, the local government that oversees the site is accelerating the planning and construction of the Taosi National Archaeological Site Park, the Taosi Cultural and Artistic Creativity Park, and other projects to preserve the cultural relics and showcase the intrinsic value of cultural items that embody Chinese culture and civilization.
New museum opens at 4,300-year-old Taosi site in China's Shanxi
New museum opens at 4,300-year-old Taosi site in China's Shanxi
The 10th China-Russia Expo opened on Sunday in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, highlighting the resilience, vitality and mutual benefits of China-Russia economic ties.
Held from May 17 to 21, this year's expo covers a floor space of 55,000 square meters, with more than 1,500 companies from 46 countries and regions taking part. Nearly 300 Russian companies are attending, while over 5,000 buyers are expected.
Since 2014, the event has attracted more than 7,200 Chinese and Russian companies and over a million visitors.
The China-Russia Expo is the largest comprehensive exhibition platform between the two countries.
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin each sent congratulatory letters to the event, encouraging all sectors from both countries to seize the opportunity, make full use of their geographical proximity and economic complementarity, and further expand all-round practical cooperation.
"Leaders of the two countries have signed agreements to deepen practical cooperation, which we fully support. Russia and China stand side by side for common development, benefiting young people and all people. Such cooperation is timely and far-reaching. We are here in Harbin for the China-Russia Expo, coming from Russia's Sakha Republic. Our region is dominated by agriculture. We are seeking advanced farming technologies including irrigation equipment and harvesters. We hope to reach deals in the coming days to boost local development," said Vasiliy Petrovich Alexeev, head of Ust-Aidan Region of the Russian Federation.
"We are greatly inspired by the congratulatory letters from the heads of state of China and Russia. We will keep building targeted and efficient cooperation platforms, and smooth channels for sub-national exchanges between China and Russia," said Chen Shijun, president of Heilongjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
China-Russia trade volume has surpassed 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years. China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 16 years running.
In the first quarter of this year, bilateral trade volume hit 60 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of more than 14 percent.
This year's Expo features eight major exhibition zones. Beyond the exhibition halls, Russian delegations have also conducted field visits to Chinese companies. A delegation from the Republic of Buryatia visited one of northeast China's largest building materials distribution centers to explore potential areas of cooperation.
"Regular China-Russia economic and trade events continuously bring fresh cooperation opportunities for both sides. This field trip to Xilong Building Materials Market has helped us explore more practical directions and modes for bilateral cooperation," said Alexei Tsydenov, head of the Republic of Buryatia of the Russian Federation.
"Relying on Buryatia's abundant mineral resources and sound logistics conditions, we plan to build industrial parks focusing on home building materials, mineral resources and energy sectors in Russia. We will introduce advanced Chinese technologies and management models to drive coordinated industrial upgrading between the two countries," said Wu Jinrong, vice president of Harbin Xilong International Trade and Logistics Park.
From everyday consumer goods to advanced helicopters, and from mineral resources to intelligent robotics, China-Russia cooperation now spans a wide range of sectors. Economic ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries continue to advance toward higher-quality development and broader prospects.
China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit
China-Russia Expo promotes trust, cooperation, mutual benefit
