China's Bronze Age relics enchant American audience

BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhua) -- From stately phoenixes, writhing serpents and horned spirits to fleshy jades, sonorous bells and swathes of wispy silk, the cultural relics from China's Bronze Age thrilled visitors at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

A major new exhibition of Chinese cultural relics has opened in the museum recently. Titled "Phoenix Kingdoms: The Last Splendor of China's Bronze Age," the exhibition showcases more than 260 pieces or sets of artifacts from ancient Chinese Zeng and Chu kingdoms during the multistate Zhou Dynasty, a period known for its cultural diversity and the birth of great philosophers like Confucius.

A visitor takes photos of an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

The exhibition runs until July 22 and is organized by the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and the Hubei Provincial Museum in China.

The artifacts, which include jade, bronze, gold, lacquer and textile works, bring to life the distinguished Bronze Age that flourished 3,000 years ago along the Yangzi River, a cradle of Chinese civilization. This is the largest exhibition of cultural property China has ever organized in the United States in recent years. Many of the artifacts have never been exhibited outside China before.

People visit a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A visitor views an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

An exhibit is displayed at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

A visitor views an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024.(Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A visitor takes photos of an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024.(Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A visitor views an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

Visitors view an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

Visitors view an exhibit at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

Visitors view exhibits at a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Liu Yilin/Xinhua)

A staff member checks an exhibit for a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, March 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A staff member checks an exhibit for a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, March 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A staff member checks an exhibit for a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, March 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A staff member checks an exhibit for a major exhibition of Chinese cultural relics from China's Bronze Age in San Francisco, California, the United States, March 22, 2024. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

A staff member packs an exhibit which is to be exhibited in San Francisco, in Jingzhou, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Staff members pack an exhibit which is to be exhibited in San Francisco, at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Staff members pack an exhibit which is to be exhibited in San Francisco, at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Staff members pack an exhibit which is to be exhibited in San Francisco, at Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Jingwen)