| "Enlightening Trivialities -- Ancient Chinese Pastimes" exhibition will open tomorrow (March 22) at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and continue until June 26. Featuring 115 relics, which date back to Neolithic Age (c.7000 - c.21st c. BC) onwards up to Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911), the exhibition introduces the rich variety and historical development of Chinese entertainment culture. The picture shows a green glazed pottery stage in Eastern Han dynasty (25 - 220). This glazed funerary object is in four tiers. The top floor is a drum tower; the second floor is the actual stage, complete with backstage, entrance and exit for the actors. This artifact is considered the earliest record of the Chinese stage, pushing the history of Chinese theatre back from the 10th century Northern Song dynasty to the 3rd century AD, the last years of the Eastern Han dynasty. |
