Sharing a grand collection

Focusing on their heritage rather than their value, couple presents artifacts spanning more than 3,000 years, Zhang Kun reports.

Fourteen years after the founding of their private Long Museum in Shanghai, Liu Yiqian and his wife Wang Wei decided to present some pieces from their most valued collection to the public.

The exhibition Panorama: Timeless Imprints of Civilization features a selection of more than 200 artifacts, including oracle bones and bronze vessels from the Shang Dynasty (c.16th-11th century BC), ceramic wares from landmark periods, imperial furniture, and more others that span more than 3,000 years of Chinese history. Some objects have made news headlines in past decades for their exceptionally high auction prices.

Such exhibits include a doucai (a porcelain enameling technique meaning "contrasting colors") chicken cup from the reign of Chenghua (1465-87) in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which Liu bought at an auction in 2014 for $36 million. Some have not been shown to the public for 10 years, while some are making their public debut, such as the Archaic Bronze Xijia Plate dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC) and a Celadon-glazed Ru Kiln (one of the famed Song Dynasty kilns located in Henan province) Brush Washer from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).