China's "Jiangnan" treasures on display at U.S. museum exhibition

Photo taken on Sept. 6, 2023 shows a bull-shaped bronze lamp dating back to the Han Dynasty during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

CLEVELAND, the United States, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio.

"This is the product of nearly a decade of research. It is the outcome of collaboration among the museums on three continents," said William Griswold, director and president of the CMA, at an opening ceremony held on Thursday for "China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta."

The exhibition, which runs from Sept. 10, 2023 to Jan. 7, 2024, represents a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for Americans to see some of the "absolutely extraordinary" art works from China, said Griswold.

The region located in the coastal area south of the Yangtze River, which is called "Jiangnan" in Chinese, is an area that boasts rich agriculture, extensive trade, and influential artistic production in China.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping in his remarks praised the CMA as "an important window" over the years for the American people, especially children, to learn about China and its culture.

"I hope the show will offer you insight into the rich culture of Jiangnan ... Its artistic and cultural achievements have shaped our idea of what classic China is," said Clarissa von Spee, the exhibition's curator and chair of Asian art at the CMA.

Through major loans from 44 institutions around the world and selections from the CMA's collection of Chinese art, the exhibition features 240 objects from Neolithic times to the 18th century, ranging from jade, silk, prints, and paintings to porcelain, lacquer, and bamboo carvings, Griswold said.

Key loans from seven Chinese institutions, including the Beijing Palace Museum, the Shanghai Museum, and the Nanjing Museum, bring rarely seen objects to the United States that illustrate how Jiangnan gained a leading role in China's artistic production and succeeded in setting cultural standards.

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping (C) views an exhibit during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 7, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

Clarissa von Spee (2nd R, Front), the exhibition's curator and chair of Asian art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, introduces an exhibit to Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping (2nd L, Front) and other visitors during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 7, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

A visitor views a Chinese art exhibit during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 6, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

A visitor takes photos of a Chinese art exhibit during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 6, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

A visitor views Chinese art exhibits during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 6, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

A visitor views a Chinese art exhibit during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 6, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)

People talk in front of Chinese art exhibits during an exhibition on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, on Sept. 6, 2023. Grains of carbonized rice from about 10,000 years ago, together with over 200 other rare items, were exhibited in a show on treasures from China's Yangtze River Delta region at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in the U.S. state of Ohio. (Xinhua/Shi Chun)