Date: September 29, 2023–January 1, 2024

Venue: Galleries 11 and 12

Content:

Exploring “from China to Peru” means “traveling all over the world”. Separated by mountains and seas, Peru is tens of thousands of miles away from China. Its history spans thousands of years. Telling the story of the largest indigenous empire that emerged in the New World through exhibitions is a challenging and extremely meaningful task for the CGCM. China and Peru are both ancient civilizations and important regions of the world’s diverse civilizations. Allowing visitors to appreciate world civilizations is the original intention of the CGCM in introducing The Inka and Their Tawantinsuyu: The Land of Four Quarters exhibition. Therefore, for the first exhibition in the “World Civilizations” series, the CGCM has brought together 168 pieces (sets) of exhibits from 14 museums in Peru. These include representative cultural relics such as pottery, metalware, textiles, and mummies. The exhibits cover various cultures from different regions, such as Chavin, Nazca, and Wari, across different periods. The exhibition traces the evolution of Peruvian Andean civilization, showcasing the remarkable material achievements created by the Incas and their empire.

This exhibition has four highlights: First, the modern scenery of Peru and the Andean civilization are cleverly integrated into the galleries, blending the past and present seamlessly, as indicated by the word “Back” in the exhibition name. Second, the corresponding cultural relics have been restored to provide an immersive viewing experience. Third, the exhibition follows a timeline, showcasing 168 pieces (sets) of cultural relics, along with restored landmarks such as Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate, Huaca Pucllana Pyramid, and the Nazca Lines. Finally, the entire exhibition is made tangible, playable, and interactive through an interactive touch screen featuring Sacred Valley, a mummy animation, a super-large felt for hands-on recording with knotted strings, and composite stamping (a popular museum activity that involves using multiple stamps to create a single, cohesive pattern on paper).

The exhibition aims to highlight the evolution of the immortal Andean civilization over millennia, showcasing how the Incas and ancient Andean people lived, thrived, expanded, and created the unique Inca Empire without the invention of writing, iron tools, wheeled vehicles, or commodity trading. By doing so, it hopes to foster a deeper understanding of the uniqueness and similarities among cultures, encouraging visitors to appreciate the diverse wisdom of every civilization throughout human history.