Second phase of “The Grand Gathering of the Century: Zodiac Heads from the Yuanmingyuan and Important Treasures” exhibition featuring a complete set of 12 zodiac head sculptures

As a continued exploration of East-West cultural exchanges, art technology, and heritage conservation in the first phase of the exhibition, the second phase of the exhibition showcases twelve zodiac head sculptures from the film CZ12: Chinese Zodiac, which will make visitors feel as if they are touring Haiyantang (Hall of Calm Seas) in the Yuanmingyuan during the Qing Dynasty, where they will be able to appreciate the bronze zodiac heads that have been lost over the past centuries.

The exhibition also includes replicas of early European mechanical tower clocks, the armillary sphere, and the hydro-mechanical astronomical clock tower from the Song Dynasty, which comprehensively illustrate the Great Fountain’s meticulous design and East-meets-West technology.

In addition, to showcase the diverse exchanges in art, culture, architecture, life and science and technology between China and the West from the 17th to 19th centuries, the exhibition presents nearly 40 bronze artefacts from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and the Han Dynasty; as well as several pieces of painted enamel vase and famille rose porcelain from the Qing Dynasty, such as the brush holder with famille-rose flower-and-bird design on turquoise ground designated for Empress Dowager Cixi, and animal paintings by the Italian Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione, who designed the 12 zodiac bronze heads during the Qing Dynasty, illustrating the fusion of the arts between the West and the East.

Emperor Qianlong was fond of artefacts, leading to the widespread practice of emulation. Many porcelain wares are modelled on bronze, mainly ding, zun, hu, and gu. The second phase of the exhibition features Yixing and other wares that mimic the design of zodiac bronze heads and provides an in-depth introduction to the rituals and functions of early Chinese bronzes and traces the legacy and innovation of the bronze ritual system through the ages.