Ancient Greek Antiquities Showcased in China Exhibition

A new exhibition showcasing ancient Greek antiquities opened at the Hunan Museum in Changsha in Central China’s Hunan Province on Tuesday.

“The Greek: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great,” exhibition features a rare glimpse of Greek civilization for Chinese visitors.

A total of 270 masterpieces from dozens of ancient Greek museums are on display, according to the Greek embassy in China.

Visitors will have the opportunity to admire exquisite treasures such as gold jewelry, rare bronze artifacts, pottery, sculptures, and other antiquities that tell the story of ancient Greek civilization from the prehistoric period to the beginning of the Hellenistic Greek era.

The exhibition, which includes seven sections, tells the life of the Cycladic merchants in the Aegean, the officials of Minoan Crete and the Mycenaean rulers, and unfolds the exploits of the Homeric heroes and athletes of the Olympic Games.

It also follows the life of the citizens in ancient Athens but also demonstrates the stories of the gold-plated warriors and aristocrats of Macedonia, finally reaching the depths of the Hellenistic world of Alexander the Great.

A timeline of Chinese and Greek milestones is one of the highlights of the event, offering visitors the chance to learn more about the long history of both China and Greece.

Meanwhile, it features immersive experiences for visitors, as the exhibition hall utilizes numerous Greek elements to recreate scenes from famous ancient battles.

Cultural ties between Greece and China

The Hunan Museum marks the first leg of the exhibition’s China tour, followed by the Nanjing Museum in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, from June to November 2024, and then the Capital Museum in Beijing from December 2024 to May 2025.

The current exhibition will run until May 18, 2024 at the Hunan Museum, according to the embassy. The tour was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Greece in collaboration with three prominent museums in China—the Hunan Museum, the Nanjing Museum, and the Capital Museum.

Greece and China maintain warm relations that were further strengthened during Kyriakos Mitsotakis recent visit to Beijing.

During his meeting with President Xi Jinping, the Greek Premier emphasized the role that Greece can play as a bridge between China and Europe while praising China’s role on the international scene. He also referred to the cultural ties between China and Greece.

“Greece and China, as two ancient civilizations, have much to share with the world and much to learn from one another,” said the Greek PM.

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