Leadership Insights | Illustrated Lectures: Millennia-old Han Culture

Cultural relics carry splendid civilization, pass on history and culture, and maintain the national spirit. It is necessary to give full play to the important role of museums in protecting, inheriting, researching and displaying human civilization, protect Chinese cultural heritage, and bring life to cultural relics to expand the influence of Chinese culture.

In the center of China's territory, Hanzhong, which borders the Qinling Mountains in the north and the Ba Mountain in the south, is not only the birthplace of the Han River, but also the birthplace of Han culture. It has been more than 2,300 years since the establishment of Hanzhong County in the Qin Dynasty. Countless historical sites gather here, and the region has preserved the long-standing Han culture for millennia.

The Hanzhong Museum is a municipal-level museum comprised of three ruins of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 8) – the Ancient Han Terrace, Altar for General Appointing, and Pond for Drinking Horses. The Ancient Han Terrace is the site of the palace dwelled by Liu Bang when he was named the Prince of Han, and the place served as the seat of the Hanzhong prefectural government from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Republic of China period (1912-1949). Legend has it that the Altar for General Appointment was built when Liu Bang appointed Han Xin as the grand general of the Western Han Dynasty. It served as a clear proof that Liu Bang became the ruler of the country for the importance he attached to talent. 

The museum has 5,220 sets of cultural relics in the collection, including 490 sets of precious ones. Among them are 13 large stone carvings with inscriptions that have been named national first-class cultural relics. These stone carvings are not only important artifacts for studying the official script of the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), but also enjoy a high reputation in the global calligraphy and seal-cutting circles.

The Han Dynasty was an important period in Chinese history, and its unification and territorial expansion had a profound impact on the development of Chinese history. During the Han period that spanned more than 400 years, the descendants of various states in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) were integrated through intermarriage, forming the unified Han culture. Neighboring kingdoms and ethnic minorities were also eager to follow Han customs and lifestyles, and were proud of their friendly relations with the Han Dynasty. This was also how the Han ethnic group took shape in the Central Plains region, which was gradually recognized by neighboring kingdoms and ethnic minorities.

For thousands of years, the influence of the Han culture has spread across the world, inspiring mutual learning among diverse civilizations today. The Han River, which flows eastward day and night, is constantly telling people about the uninterrupted inheritance of Chinese civilization.