How relics escape the past and help shape shared future

When selecting cultural relics from Chinese museums for an exhibition in Saudi Arabia, Xu He recalls paying particular attention to items that would engender a connection with people.

Xu, the project leader of the International Liaison Office of Art Exhibitions China, says this kind of tailored approach is essential when it comes to curating exhibitions of relics for viewers outside China. It’s vital “to bring over exhibits with elements that a targeted audience is familiar with to help them quickly build a bond” with Chinese culture, she says.

“People in the Middle East are quite curious about the exotic charm of Chinese culture, but they may soon forget what they have seen in the exhibition if they don’t feel connected while appreciating them,” she says.

Xu organized the Treasures of China, an exhibition that showcased Chinese civilization at the National Museum in the Saudi capital Riyadh in 2018. On show were 264 items provided by 13 museums and cultural institutions, such as the Palace Museum. Some 173 of the items were Chinese cultural relics, including the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors.

Nearly half the items had never before left China. The exhibition of cultural relics was one of the largest that China has staged in the kingdom. More than 50,000 Saudis flocked to the three-month show.

Xu says that relics from the city of Quanzhou in Fujian province proved especially popular with the visitors.

The city had served as an important port in China’s Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and drew many Arabian merchants. The Saudis, bearing out Xu’s belief that it’s connections that matter, were fascinated by that slice of a shared cultural link.

“Saudi Arabians don’t know much about other Chinese cities, but Quanzhou is relatively better known to them,” she says. “So we chose tombstones from Quanzhou.”

Of particular relevance is that the exhibition included one tombstone with Arabic words on the front and Chinese characters on the back. It told the story of how an Arabian merchant became an official in China and then moved his entire family from the Middle East to Quanzhou in ancient times.

As Saudi Arabia is along the Maritime Silk Road, Xu brought an iron plate with Arabian numerals from Shaanxi province for the exhibition. The plate showed the province had exchanges with the Arabian region in ancient times.

Han Bing, the chief researcher of culture and entertainment practice of global consultancy Roland Berger, says that when administrators plan exhibitions in other countries, they must think about what kind of story to tell and how to tell it better. Then it’s a matter of deciding on the themes and choosing the exhibits accordingly.

She says the Belt and Road Initiative carries historical significance and the values of openness and inclusiveness. Exhibitions that are taken to other countries should also demonstrate these values.