Wudang Mountain Taoist relics go on diplay

By Wang Ying ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2012-03-31

From April 6 to June 17, a Taoism Cultural Relics Exhibition will be held in the Hubei Provincial Museum. 230 relics from Hunan, Hubei and Wudang Mountain will be on display, free of charge for visitors.

"This exhibition is a large scale Taoism exhibition that can stir the depth of one's soul," said Wang Jichao, director of the Displaying Department of the Hubei Provincial Museum.

Taoism is an ancient religion rooted in Chinese customs. Tao is translated as the Way, which is the creative principle of the universe. All things are unified and connected in Tao. Taoism was founded 2,000 years ago as a religion of unity and opposites. The Tao does not just worship one god. Taoists worship many deities in temples. They are part of the universe and depend on the Tao. Taoism promotes harmony or union with nature; the pursuit of spiritual immortality; being 'virtuous' (but not ostentatiously so); self-development.

This exhibition will focus on the development of primitive Taoism in Hubei and its influence over Taoist culture.

The relics mainly came from Hubei, Hunan and Wudang Mountain. Over 90 pieces of Wudang Mountain relics will be on display in Wuhan for the first time, over ten priceless relics will be transported from Hunan province and over 80 pieces from the Hubei Provincial Museum will be exhibited for the first time to the public.

Most exhibits are national treasures, such as the "Yellow Emperor's Four Canons"(or "Four Classics of Huangdi") excavated in 1973 from Tomb 3 of the Western Han Dynasty at Ma Wangdui in Changsha, the Bamboo Slip Lao Tzu from the Guodian Chu Tombs in Hubei, Chinese traditional paintings of Qi Baishi, and the acupoint-marked bronze figure of the Ming Dynasty and much more.

According to Wang Jichao, the relics will get exhibited abroad later on.

Wudang Mountain Taoist relics go on diplay