提到汉代，你会想到什么？是“大风起兮云飞扬”的雄壮豪迈，还是“北方有佳人，绝世而独立”的婀娜旖旎，或只是生发出“汉家陵阙起秋风，禾黍满关中”的幽情满怀？我想，每个人心中必定拥有独属于自己的汉代记忆。

  秦末纷争，群雄逐鹿。项羽违背“先入关破秦者王其地”的约定，改封刘邦为汉王，萧何进言：“语曰‘天汉’，其称甚美。”古人以汉水指代天上的银河，《诗经·小雅》：“维天有汉，鉴亦有光。”汉水、汉中、汉王，以致国号为汉。“天汉”既是汉代人雄视天宇的象征,也成为自汉代开始形成的中华民族主体。

汉继秦而立，所谓“汉承秦制，略有损益”。汉代初年，社会凋敝，百废待兴，遂行黄老之学，与民休息，史称“文景之治”。及至汉武之世，内除弊政，外御强敌，“明犯强汉者，虽远必诛”，国威赫赫，由此奠定汉代四百年国祚延绵。

  有别于之前的“天下惟宁：汉代文明的四张面孔”，此次再度聚焦汉代，我们将目光更多地投向汉代人的日常，通过生活和信仰两部分，从不同层面揭示两千年前汉代人的真实样貌。汉墓出土的陶屋、陶井、陶仓、陶灶以及各式各样的酒器、水器、食器、灯炉，虽是模型明器，却真实再现了汉代人日常生活中的勤劳、温馨与富足。博山炉、玉覆面、摇钱树、解注瓶，阴阳和合，飞升仙界，无不寄托着汉代人对宇宙的想象，对生命的注解，这些关于思想、信仰、哲学的观念流淌在汉代人的血脉中，铸就此后两千多年中国人的精神基因。此外，我们汇集了汉代三大兵马俑：汉景帝阳陵兵马俑、咸阳杨家湾兵马俑、徐州狮子山兵马俑，艺术成就各有千秋，可同台欣赏，互为观照。

  展览特别邀请当代著名艺术家刘丹先生创作巨幅山水长卷，与古代艺术和历史遥相呼应。从上世纪七十年代起，刘丹在创作中就对汉代的造型原素予以特别的思考，目的是探索“山水画”背后的时空意识。这种认知，来源于汉代艺术中对“引魂”的关注，通过博山炉山川的隐喻，转化出了一个超越现实的“山水世界”。

  星移斗转，天地悠悠。对幸福生活的美好期待，对日月星辰的瑰丽梦想，塑造了汉代，也绵延至当代。两千余年，天穹、大地、人世间——天人合一的追求不曾改变。

  此次展览，仰赖于河北博物院、广州市文物考古研究院、汉景帝阳陵博物院、咸阳博物院、成都博物馆、绵阳市博物馆、焦作市博物馆、徐州博物馆、徐州汉兵马俑博物馆等单位的大力支持，在此表示诚挚的谢忱！

谢晓婷

苏州博物馆 馆长

二〇二四年十二月

What comes to your mind when you think of the Han Dynasty? Is it the hyperbole that “The gale gains momentum, sweeping up the clouds”; or the heart throbbing verse of “ A fine lady from the northern country, her beauty unrivalled, her spirit independent”; or the melancholy sentiment aroused by “ The autumn wind blowing over the Han imperial mausoleums as well as the millet crops in the Han Zhong fields”? I believe each of us has our own favored bits of the Han Dynasty at heart.  

As the Qin Dynasty came to an end, rivalry forces battled for the ultimate prize. Xiang Yu breached the agreement that “The imperial throne belongs to whoever storms the Qin imperial city first and brings it to capitulation ”. In steady, he made Liu Bang mere “Han Wang”, Ruler of Han. However, Xiao He suggested: “For thing, Han as in Celestial Han is wonderful for a title!” In ancient China, Han Shui(River) was a euphemism for the cosmic Milky Way, like “High up in the sky is the Han River, emanating bright light” from “ The Book of Songs”. From Han Shui(Han River), Han Zhong( Middle Han region), Han Wang( Ruler of Han), till eventually, Han became the name of a Dynasty. “Celestial Han” not only epitomized the cosmic ambition of Han Dynasty people, it has become synonymous with the identity of the majority of Chinese people since the Han Dynasty.

The Han Dynasty modeled its system after that of the Qin Dynasty. “Han kept the system of Qin, with modifications and additions”. In the early days of the Han Dynasty, the country was in shambles, waiting to be resurrected. As a result, the philosophy of Huang Di and Lao Zi was promoted, in order to give people a break and a chance to recover. Historians named this period “The Reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jin”, during which time and till the beginning of the rule of Emperor Wu Di, unfavorable domestic laws and regulations were gradually abolished; and national defense against foreign aggression was being built up. The motto was “Audacious foreign aggressors will be combated wherever they are.” Hence, a strong and powerful state emerged, laying the foundation for the survival of the Han Dynasty for the next 400 years.

The theme of the current exhibition is once more the Han Dynasty. But unlike our previous exhibition entitled “Restoration of Peace: the Four Faces of the Han Dynasty Civilization”, this exhibition focuses more on the daily life of the people of the Han Dynasty. Divided into two parts of “Life and Belief”, this exhibition endeavors, at different levels, to present the actual life of Han Dynasty people more than two thousand years ago.  Even though the pottery objects excavated from Han Dynasty mausoleums like houses, wells, granaries, stoves, varieties of wine and water vessels, food containers, lamps and incense burners are models for burial purposes, they nevertheless give us a vivid portrayal of Han Dynasty people in everyday life over two thousand years ago: industrious, warm and well off. Objects such as Boshan Incense Burner, jade mask, wealth tree, exorcising vase, as well as objects depicting the belief of yin and yang and ascending immortals, reflect the cosmic universe in the imagination of Han Dynasty people and their understanding of life itself. These ideas, beliefs and philosophical concepts were infused in the blood of Han Dynasty people, forming the spiritual cells of the Chinese people in the two thousand years to come.

In addition, the exhibition also presents three large terracotta warrior and horses excavated respectively from the Yang Ling mausoleum of Emperor Han Jing Di, Yang Jia Wan of Xian Yang and Lion Mountain of Xu Zhou. Together, they reveal to us their unique yet complimentary artistic brilliance.

For this exhibition, we have especially invited the renowned contemporary artist Mr. Liu Dan to create a large-scale landscape scroll in response to ancient art and history. From the 70s of the 20th century, Liu Dan, in his creative process, started to contemplate the forms and elements of Han Dynasty art and explore spatial and temporal perceptions underlying the Landscape Painting. This awareness originates from his attention to the rite of “ spirit channeling” found in Han Dynasty art. He transforms the mountains and rivers metaphorically embodied by Bo Shan Incense Burner into transporting “landscapes”.

The stars in the sky spin and revolve in perpetual movement, creating a sense of genial eternity. The longing for a good life and the fantastic imagination about the celestial bodies shaped the Han Dynasty, the effect of which still touches us today. For more two thousand years, the quest for the “union of nature and man”, which is, the union of the cosmic sky, the earth and human life has not changed.

This exhibition has been made possible thanks to the rigorous support of Hebei Museum, Guangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, Chengdu Museum, Hanyangling Museum, Jiaozuo Museum, Mianyang Museum, Xianyang Museum, Xuzhou Museum, and Xuzhou Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, for which we express our heartfelt gratitude.

Xie Xiaoting

Director of Suzhou Museum

December 2024