What does Smithsonian's exhibit uncover about ancient Chinese lifestyles? | Curator Keith Wilso

When archaeologists started excavations in Anyang, China in the 1920s, they found artifacts that had survived thousands of years buried in the ground. They included bronze pots, clay jars and jade jewelry. They also discovered the early stages of the Chinese writing system. A recent exhibition in Washington, D.C. displayed these findings. “I really always have in my mind two audiences. There’s the local American audience, and in many ways I might be introducing a new Chinese topic to an American audience and hopefully contributing to the relationship between Chinese and American people. But I’m also thinking about Chinese audiences … I’m sensitive to the Chinese cultural point of view,” said Keith Wilson, curator at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art. The exhibition gives a glimpse into what life was like in ancient Anyang. “One thing about Chinese material culture is that it’s all primarily functional objects. They’re made for use…We appreciate them as art objects, but they were very important objects for particular usages in antiquity,” Wilson said. Wilson shared highlights of the Anyang collection and the significance of these pieces. The exhibition coincides with the museum’s 100th anniversary. “I thought that shedding light on this site and the way that it brought Chinese institutions and American institutions together for scholarly collaboration was kind of an important message for today, showing that over the years, there have been these great opportunities and warm relations between colleagues working on important projects together,” Wilson said. #features #smithsonian Watch CGTN LIVE on your computer, tablet or mobile https://cgtnamerica.vhx.tv/videos/hd-live-broadcasts Subscribe to CGTN America on YouTube Follow CGTN America: Twitter: @cgtnamerica Facebook: @cgtnamerica Instagram: @cgtnamerica TikTok: @newstoks This material is distributed by MediaLinks TV, LLC on behalf of CCTV. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.