Liaoning Museum opens annual 'smile' exhibition

(ECNS) -- The Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang unveiled its annual special exhibition Sunday, "The Smile -- Spirit of Chinese Civilization in Cultural Relics," featuring more than 300 artifacts from 38 institutions nationwide.

Spanning 8,000 years, the exhibition uses "smile" as a unifying theme. National treasures include two Shang Dynasty bronze yue axes with hollowed human-face designs, displayed together for the first time, and a Han Dynasty pottery figurine of a storytelling performer with a laughing expression.

Other notable items include a Hongshan culture pottery figurine of a pregnant woman, a 7,000-year-old pottery fragment from the Hemudu culture with a simple smiling face, and a Western Zhou bronze chariot fitting with animal-mask patterns. Buddhist sculptures from Jingchuan in Gansu, Silk Road artifacts and bronze items from the grasslands of western Liaoning are also on display.

Curators said the exhibition aims to connect visitors with the emotions and spirit embedded in artifacts, beyond their age or craftsmanship.

The exhibition runs through October 22.

(By Tang Yuxian)