‘Sharing a Common Future’
National Museum of China Exhibition 2019
This exhibition was organized to coincide with the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held in Beijing in 2019. Interestingly, the story of the two Silk Roads - maritime and overland - are told through the objects of the countries who participated. This creates particular cultural connectivities, whether it be through Buddhism or the motifs depicted on ceramics and bronze-ware. The world map produced for the exhibition portrays these connections, relegating those countries that lie beyond the Silk Road in darkness. Further connections between past and present are also made through the objects - described as national treasures - chosen to depict China at the end of the exhibition. Paper money, coins and scrolls of bustling port cities in Southern China all signal the country’s role in building these historical and “shared common futures” through trade.
