Great Exhibit at the China Institute in New York

Gallery
Exhibition: Along the Yangzi River: Regional Culture of the Bronze Age from Hunan
January 27– June 12, 2011

Here's our little friend, the elephant, showing up as a Hunan cast bronze from the - you guessed it - Bronze Age! 
And in the Exhibit too.  So much for one theory that Xiang Qi (Chinese Chess) had to have been imported from India
(at a much later date) because China did not "know" about elephants.  After all, so the argument goes,
 the game was named after an elephant. Next theory, please...

The middle bank of the Yangzi River is one of the most significant cradles of Chinese civilization and a historical area for study of Chinese bronze culture. Several important excavations in the past few decades have enabled us to examine the little known aspects of this culture through exquisite bronze vessels. This exhibition will reveal the fascinating story of this regional culture in three ways: the development and characteristics of Hunan bronzes, their function and patronage, and their cultural connection to central China.

This is an original exhibition organized by China Institute Gallery in collaboration with the Hunan Provincial Museum. The exhibition is directed by Willow Hai Chang, Director of China Institute Gallery, and co-curated by Chen Jianming, Director of the Hunan Provincial Museum, Jay Xu, Director of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and Fu Juliang, Curator of the Bronze Collection at the Hunan Provincial Museum. A scholarly bilingual catalogue will be published by China Institute Gallery.

VISITOR INFORMATION
Location:
125 East 65th St, between Lexington and Park Avenues
Gallery Hours:
Monday – Sunday               10am – 5pm
Tuesday and Thursday     10am – 8pm           Free admission from 6pm-8pm
Closed in between exhibitions and on major holidays.

Admission:
Adults $7 Students and seniors (with valid ID) $4Free Children under 12    Free Members of China Institute, Asia Society, and Channel Thirteen