Meishan culture is an important part of Chu culture and a precious living fossil. The original themed exhibition “Everlasting Prayer: Statues and Beliefs in Meishan Cultural Area” opened at Hunan Museum on December 21.

The ancient pre-Qin realm in Hunan is inhabited by barbarian tribes such as “Jiu Li” “San Miao”. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, the Chu people went to the south of China, and in this fertile land of myths, beliefs and sorcery, the magnificent and brilliant Chu witch culture was nurtured and grown. The Chu culture was gradually assimilated by the Central Plains culture, but the original beliefs of the Chu deities and sacrificial customs were preserved in the ancient Meishan area, which is “not connected with the outside world”. 

The wooden carved statues collected by institutions such as Hunan Museum show the unique cultural wealth of the Meishan people which has been passed down from generation to generation, their unique understanding of the universe and the ways the Meishan people deal with relationships with nature and society, and are a local knowledge treasure house of Chu culture.

With more than 100 pieces of wood carvings and archaeological relics from Hunan Museum and related institutions in the Central Hunan Province since the Ming and Qing dynasties, this exhibition shows the origin and basic features of folk beliefs in this cultural area, with a view to leading the audience to appreciate the Meishan culture with unique local characteristics of Hunan.

In addition, the exhibition presents rich and vivid theme image content through various technologies like digital dynamic image production and 3D mapping, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the imagery world of “Meishan culture”.

This exhibition has become a recommendation project of the National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2023 to carry forward the outstanding traditional Chinese culture and cultivate the socialist core values. It is open to the public for free for a year.

On the day, an academic seminar on the protection and utilization of Meishan cultural heritage was also held, with over 30 experts and scholars invited by Hunan Museum present.