National Museum Hosts ‘Amazing Chinese Characters’ Show

The National Museum of China is hosting a special exhibition titled “Amazing Chinese Characters,” celebrating the history and cultural significance of the Chinese writing system. The exhibition, which opened to the public on July 16, features more than 270 artifacts (sets) from 20 museums, archaeological institutes, and universities, according to People’s Daily.

A Window into 3,000 Years of Writing

The exhibition showcases the achievements of the “Ancient Chinese Characters and Chinese Civilization Inheritance and Development Project” during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025). The project, launched in November 2020 by eight government departments, focuses on systematically researching oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, bamboo and silk manuscripts, and seal script characters.

“Ancient scripts are the key to understanding early Chinese history and traditional culture,” said Huang Dekuan, chairman of the Expert Committee of the Ancient Characters Project and a professor at Tsinghua University, as reported by ECNS. “Their forms and structures reflect the thoughts and habits of ancient people, as well as the social customs, technological development and living conditions of the time.”

Notable Artifacts on Display

Among the highlights is the “Tufang Invasion” cinnabar-infilled oracle bone, a Shang Dynasty (c.1600-1046 BC) artifact recording King Wu Ding’s divination about border threats. The inscription was filled with cinnabar to distinguish it from ordinary oracle bones, making it one of the most important specimens for studying Shang Dynasty geography, regional states, and military systems, according to the National Museum of China.

Another standout piece is the “Zuocen Huan” You vessel, an early Western Zhou bronze excavated in 2021 from the Liulihe site in Beijing’s Fangshan district. Its inscription proves that the Grand Protector personally visited the Yan region and presided over the city’s construction, making it the earliest known document recording the founding of Beijing.

The exhibition also features the Changsha Mawangdui silk manuscript “Chunqiu Shiyu,” a Western Han text containing 16 chapters of historical events with commentary, some of which are not found in transmitted classics like Zuozhuan and Guoyu.

Six Thematic Sections

The exhibition is divided into six sections: the Preface Hall, “Oracle Bone Inscriptions: Reborn in Light,” “Bronze Age: Splendor Across Time,” “Diverse Brilliance, Ultimate Unity,” “Written on Bamboo and Silk: Passed Down Through Generations,” and “Eternal Flame, Eternal Civilization.” The display method integrates artifacts with academic research results, emphasizing both the broad representativeness of the selected materials and the latest research findings on newly excavated, newly collected, newly reconstructed, and newly organized ancient script materials.

Academic Publications and Digital Engagement

The exhibition also presents over 100 types of academic publications from the project’s construction units, including the 43-volume “Oracle Bone Inscription Facsimile Series” compiled by Tsinghua University’s Huang Tianshu team, which contains over 70,000 inscribed oracle bones, and the 60-volume “Collection of Chinese Bronzes in Overseas Collections” compiled by Peking University’s Zhu Fenghan team.

Visitors can also engage with interactive elements, including an “Ancient Characters Connect” game and an AI-powered bronze artifact dating and classification mini-program. A notable collaboration with Douyin (TikTok China) invited creators to use AIGC technology to produce content based on ancient characters, with six co-created videos receiving nearly 30 million total views and over 600,000 likes as of July 22, according to the National Museum of China.

Cultural Significance

Luo Wenli, Director of the National Museum of China, emphasized at the opening ceremony that the implementation of the Ancient Characters Project “is not only a rescue protection of precious historical heritage, but also an important measure to interpret the genes of Chinese civilization, elucidate the context of Chinese civilization, and enhance national cultural soft power,” as reported by the National Museum of China.

“This exhibition is not only a systematic display of ancient script carriers such as oracle bones, bronze inscriptions, and bamboo slips, but also a three-dimensional presentation of the fruitful achievements of all construction units in academic research, discipline construction, popularization, and AI empowerment,” said Guo Yong, Deputy Party Secretary of Tsinghua University.

What to Watch For

The exhibition, located in Gallery N2 of the National Museum, will run for three months until approximately mid-October 2026. It comes at a time when Chinese characters and ancient scripts are gaining renewed public attention, representing a major effort to transform the “cold discipline” of ancient script studies into a widely accessible cultural experience. As visitors leave the exhibition hall, many express the sentiment captured by Guangming Daily: “Chinese characters are truly amazing!”