Step into the Xuchang Museum and feel the memory of history

Xuchang City Museum is a local comprehensive museum, classified as a national second-level museum, and is a national 3A-level tourist attraction. The museum has six basic exhibition halls and one multifunctional temporary exhibition hall. The basic display of Xuchang City Museum, titled 'Xu's Prosperity', highlights local characteristics by combining regional culture with the museum's collection. With the theme of 'reflecting ancient civilization and highlighting the culture of the Three Kingdoms', the exhibition is structured in the form of a grand historical narrative with focused subtopics. It includes five thematic exhibitions: 'The People of Xuchang', 'The Origin of the Xia Capital', 'The Origin of Xu', 'Cao Wei's Capital Xu', and 'Memories of Xuzhou'. The basic display 'Xu's Prosperity' was awarded the 'Top Ten Exhibitions of National Museums' by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Chinese Museums Association for the tenth session (2011-2012). Xuchang was formerly known as Xuzhou. In the first year of Jian'an of the Eastern Han Dynasty (196 AD), Cao Cao moved the capital to this location after welcoming Emperor Xian of Han, and it remained the capital until the twenty-fifth year of Jian'an (220 AD), when Cao Cao's son Cao Pi replaced the Han Dynasty, established the state of Wei, and moved the capital to Luoyang. That is to say, the last capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty was in Xuchang. However, after Cao Cao captured Ye City in the tenth year of Jian'an, he resided there, so Xuchang's splendor was not as dazzling as that of Ye City. What truly makes Xuchang noteworthy today is the Guan Kiln in Yuzhou, which is under the jurisdiction of Xuchang. The so-called Jun Kiln of the Five Famous Kilns of the Song Dynasty, although its era is disputed, is one of the most important kiln systems in the history of Chinese ceramics, whether in the Song, Yuan, or Ming dynasties. The ceramic gallery of the Xuchang Museum is relatively weak, and it can only be said to provide a simple introduction to the Jun Kiln. Therefore, those interested in Jun porcelain must visit the Yuzhou Jun Official Kiln Site Museum. Que Tower images were a common theme in the Han Dynasty. The characteristic of the manorial economy of the Han Dynasty was 'the rich had fields extending in all directions, while the poor had no place to stand a needle.' Farmers who could not pay their rent would become tenants of large landowners. Manors varied in size, as did the portrait bricks, but all embodied aspirations for a better life. However, the figures on these small bricks from Xuchang are quite adorable. This kind of rough line drawing of the Que Tower seems to be a characteristic of Xuchang. (Images 4-6) Xuchang Museum