Source: CCTV.com

04-15-2009 08:52

China's first museum to exhibit historical plaques has opened in the city. It showcases more than five-hundred tablets, dating from the 15th century to the early 20th century.

China's first museum to exhibit historical plaques has opened in the city.

The museum was built in the architectural style of the Qing Dynasty and occupies an area of more than three thousand square meters. It cost a total investment of nearly five million yuan, or about 700-thousand US dollars. The museum displays various commemorative, monumental and congratulatory tablets collected in recent years, spanning from the middle of the Ming Dynasty to the Republic of China in the 1920s and 30s.

It showcases more than five-hundred tablets, dating from the 15th century to the early 20th century.

There are commemorative plaques which bear text in memory of an important figures and events. There's also tribute plaques for the achievements in a government official's post. There are also tablets to remembering those who have died. There are also plaques used by ancient Chinese literati to hang in their own libraries.

Plaques can be seen as a symbolic object in Chinese culture. They are a mix of artistic and cultural mediums, such as calligraphy, literature, sculpture and decorative art. It was widely used in various aspects of social life throughout the Chinese dynasties.

Editor:Zhao Yanchen