Venue: Gallery 5

Date: May 14, 2024–August 14, 2024

Hosted by: China Grand Canal Museum and Grand Canal Archaeology and Conservation Committee of the Society for Chinese Archaeology

Number of exhibits: 230 pieces (sets)

Supported by: Tianjin Cultural Heritage Protection Center, Tianjin Museum, Hebei Museum, Hebei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Shandong Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Heritage and Archaeology, Luoyang Institute of Archaeology, Luoyang Museum, Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Huaibei Museum, Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Nanjing Museum, Huai’an Cultural Relics Protection and Archaeological Research Institute, Yangzhou Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, Yangzhou Museum, Suzhou Institute of Archaeology, Changzhou Institute of Archaeology, Zhangjiagang Museum, Rudong County Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Hangzhou Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Ningbo Research Institute of Cultural Heritage Management, and Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln Museum.

Content: According to incomplete statistics, the eight provinces (municipalities) along the canal have, since the new era, carried out more than 200 archaeological projects, over 60 of which have yielded significant results. Among these, 4 have been selected as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in China, and 3 have been chosen as part of the top 100 archaeological discoveries of the new era. This extensive research has further explored and interpreted the significance and value of Grand Canal culture, serving as a vivid example of archaeology that showcases Chinese characteristics, style, and ethos.

Today, the people of the Grand Canal have imbued the over 1,500-km-long millennium canal with new meaning. Guided by the principles of co-protection and shared heritage, they collaborate with communities along the canal, focus on archaeology, and employ the spirit of craftsmanship to continue the moving narrative of “yesterday and today”. To this end, we have joined forces with more than 20 museums and cultural relics and archaeological institutions in eight provinces (municipalities) along the canal to launch Carrying Through the Ages: Exhibition of Significant Archaeological Discoveries Along the Grand Canal in the New Era to pay tribute to the 10^th anniversary of the successful inscription of the Grand Canal as a World Heritage site.