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丝绸之路是东西方文化交流通道的代称,位于丝绸之路沿线的博物馆不在少数,而文化交流永远是人类文明发展进步的热词,与丝绸之路主题相关的展览更是层出不穷。
2015年以来,中国丝绸博物馆正式提出了“丝路之绸”的学术概念,同时开始每年推出原创的丝绸之路主题展。到今天为止,“丝路之绸”的学术研究已经扩展到“丝绸之路周”这一国内外大型盛会,丝绸之路的主题展也已推出了七期,渐渐形成了中国丝绸博物馆自己的展览系列和展览风格。
缘起:丝路之绸与丝绸之路
2014年6月,由中国、哈萨克斯坦与吉尔吉斯坦三国联合申报的“丝绸之路:长安—天山廊道路网”被联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)列入世界遗产名录,古代的丝绸之路成为全人类的共同财富。消息传来的同时,中国已开始进入丝绸之路的后申遗时代,国家文物局召开了世界文化遗产丝绸之路保护管理工作会议,中国境内的丝路遗产点及其主管部门负责人全部到会,我和陈同滨作为专家应邀出席,并接受了时任国家文物局副局长童明康的重要任务:加强对丝绸起源的研究和科普。
至此,我们开始了丝绸之路的主题展览和相关活动,提出了“丝路之绸”的概念。“丝路之绸”就是丝绸之路上的丝绸。“丝绸之路”与“丝路之绸”是两个伴生概念,各有侧重且相互关联——前者的关键词是“路”,后者则是“绸”。我最初提出这一概念大约是在2009年,逐步并以此為理念成立了国际丝路之绸研究联盟,此后使这一概念固化了下来。
要策划丝绸之路的主题展览,就要对已有的展览进行一番梳理。我们查阅了世界上已举办过的以丝绸之路为题或主要内容的展览目录,大致可分为:(1)基于收藏的区域性综合文物展。该类型以博物馆馆藏为基础,按照时间线分门别类向观众展示了丝绸之路的相关历史,例如:甘肃省博物馆“丝绸之路:大西北遗珍”、福建博物院“丝路帆远:海上丝绸之路文物精萃”、中国国家博物馆的“丝绸之路”、日本奈良国立博物馆“正仓院展”等;(2)基于学术研究的专题展。 如很多年前的“丝绸之路:汉唐织物”、加拿大皇家安大略博物馆“丝绸之路,中国船舶:东西方贸易展览”、湖南省博物馆“在最遥远的地方寻找故乡”等;(3)基于传播的巡展。例如,在美国和日本都曾举办过数量众多的冠以“丝绸之路”文物大展之名的展览,也在美国和日本各地巡展。日本平山郁夫丝绸之路美术馆也在中国境内的不同博物馆举办巡展。近几年热度极高的阿富汗国宝也在包括中国在内的世界各地进行巡展。
在这三类展览中,我本人参与过美国大都会博物馆举办的三大丝绸之路主题展览。在打造丝路主题展览品牌的过程中,我们不断拓宽展览的内涵和外延:一方面是立足国内,服务“一带一路”建设,这是作为负责国家一级博物馆、纺织服饰类专业博物馆的使命担当;另一方面是放眼国际,瞄准国际学术舞台,希望以研究型专题博物馆的姿态活跃在国际学术舞台上。
所以,我们的丝路主题展览一直在绸与路两条主线之间探索和实践:一条是丝路之绸,做好自身丝路之绸的研究,打造一批有“中国丝绸博物馆”学术特色的丝路主题展览。2015年的“丝路之绸”,以丝绸之路考古出土丝绸为主,展示中国丝绸历史和丝绸之路,着力讲丝绸本身,讲清丝绸是丝路的原动力;2016年的“锦绣世界”,从学习《世界纺织品5000年》开始,布局世界丝绸史,讲丝绸的贡献,讲中国丝绸为人类带来了美丽生活,除了向日本、韩国、俄罗斯借展文物,更多其他的都是自己征集展品;2018年的“神机妙算”,讲丝绸背后的技术,我们对最为复杂的中国古代织机已有较深了解,在此了解基础上再扩大到对世界织机的认识,讲述丝绸之路精神文明互鉴中的技术传播。而另一条主线就是丝绸之路,2017年的主题是“古道新知”,从自身有优势的纺织品保护出发,再扩大到各个门类,与国家文物局的其他20余家科研基地进行合作,讲述丝绸之路科学认知与文物保护的关键技术。2019年“丝路岁月”,开始关注丝绸之路上人的生活。2020年则是“众望同归”,聚焦丝绸之路的学术史。
回顾:从古老起源到共同财富
2015年9月,“丝路之绸:起源、传播与交流展”在西湖博物馆举办,浙江、河南、湖北、湖南、陕西、甘肃、青海、新疆八省区联动,26家相关文博考古单位参与。
展览的理念正是突出丝绸之路上的丝绸,我们旗帜鲜明地提出了它起源于中国、从东向西传播、继而东西方相互交流的概念。展览从26家文博考古机构选调所需展品,包括 “延年益寿大宜子孙”锦鸡鸣枕等多件国宝级文物在内的近140件(组)文物,通过展示丝绸之路的主要通道、主要时段出土的丝绸文物,说明丝绸在中国的起源、丝绸从东方向西方的传播以及东西方纺织文化在丝绸之路上的交流,说明世界丝绸艺术的变化和技术的提高,正是在这一交流过程中完成的,说明丝绸产品的衣被天下,也正是丝绸之路带来的辉煌成果。
古老的丝绸之路是古代世界东西方之间最为重要的贸易和文化交流通道,它犹如一条彩带,将中国和世界上其他国家、地区联系在了一起。作为丝绸之路上最重要的载体,藉由这条通道,原产于中国的丝绸及养蚕丝织技艺被传播到世界各地,并实现了丝绸生产技术的当地化,对世界各国社会经济文化的发展产生了极大的影响。此后,随着交流的不断加深,西方的织造风格又反向影响中国的丝绸生产,中国的传统丝织物也开始出现西方题材和西方设计形式。
一年之后,也就是2016年“锦绣世界:国际丝绸艺术精品展”举办。展览以地区为序,介绍世界各地生产或使用的丝绸种类,包括织造、印染、刺绣等大类,全部或部分使用丝绸材料。其中某些展品甚至早到8世纪,而大部分展品的年代则集中在近两个世纪。恰逢G20峰会在杭州召开,我们策划了这一展览,希望来自世界各地的人们通过这一展览更加了解丝绸之路、爱好丝绸艺术。
2017年6月,“古道新知:丝绸之路文化遗产保护科技成果展”则系统展示了世界文化遗产,其中“丝绸之路起始段长安—天山廊道”的文化遗产包括中国和哈萨克斯坦两国8个遗址的保护成果,从理论到实践、集中揭示了丝绸之路文化遗产蕴含的历史文化价值。在策展过程中我们要求所有的文物都有故事、有技术、有颜值,最后集聚科研基地的力量,形成科技联盟,通过这次展览在一带一路沿途产生较大的影响力。 “神机妙算:世界织机与纺织艺术展”是中国丝绸博物馆联合国际上20多个国家的学术机构和学者一起打造的最大的织机展览,于2018年5月30日至9月15日举办。神机妙算,不只是指织机和织机上的提花程序,更是指人类通过织机创造物质精神文明的整个科学和艺术过程。衣食住行是人类的基本需求,世界各地都有关于纺织的发明创造,所有的织机都能执行开口和织造的功能,生产出美丽而有个性的纺织品。展览按照空间分区,通过50多台种类各异的织机以及丰富多样的织物,展示织机的技术变革以及在当地习俗和传统文化背景下的织造实践,意在说明世界织机的多元发展、相互交流、各自创新、争相辉映的历史,说明织造技术给丝绸之路带来的繁荣昌盛,以及保存优秀传统纺织文化的重要性和紧迫性。
“丝路岁月:大时代下的小故事”,2019年的这一展览改变了通常的切入点,从丝路之物变换到了丝路上的人。我们寻找了13个时代不同、民族不同、身份不同、人生经历不同的丝路人物,他们是塞族勇士(俄罗斯巴泽雷克墓)、匈奴王(蒙古诺因乌拉墓)、驿站小吏(敦煌悬泉置啬夫弘)、河西郡首(武威雷台汉墓)、楼兰贵族(楼兰壁画墓)、固原将军(北周李贤)、丝路胡商(凉州萨保史君)、西州子钱家(吐鲁番左憧憙墓)、沙州佛子(河西都僧统洪辩)、市舶官之女(福州黄昇墓)、南海商人(南海一号沉船)、陇西豪门(漳县汪世显墓)和边城孤卫(宁夏鹽池杨钊墓),从他们所遗留下来的历史碎片,重塑在风云变幻的丝路岁月中这些人物或精彩似传奇、或平凡如你我的一生,进而拼贴出那个超越现代人想象的和平合作、开放包容的大时代,从而多视角地再现不同时期丝绸之路沿途不同地区的时代特征及文化碰撞。
2020年,“众望同归:丝绸之路的前世今生展”邀请了一个以荣新江、杭侃、景峰、刘进宝等一批学界大腕为核心的专家团队,在他们的建议下,我们把展览分成三大单元。第一单元是丝路前世,介绍李希霍芬提出丝绸之路前东西方文化交流的实际情况,按使节、僧侣、商人和传教士四个方面来梳理不同历史时期人们对当时东西方交通联系的记载。第二单元是丝路命名,介绍李希霍芬和他的时代以及提出丝绸之路的背景,包括1868-1872年间李希霍芬在中国进行的七次地质考察,特别是李希霍芬在1877年出版的《中国:亲身旅行的成果和以之为根据的研究》第一卷中,首次提出把汉代中国和中亚南部、西部以及印度之间的以丝绸贸易为主的交通路线称作“丝绸之路”。第三单元是丝路申遗,其实是在二战之后,丝绸之路的概念开始在学界、政界、艺术界、民间被传播越来越广,所以有了申遗的概念。联合国教科文组织也在1990-1995年间开展了五次国际性考察,是对丝绸之路空前绝后的宣传。正因如此,教科文组织开始策划和组织“丝绸之路”跨国申遗。经过26年的努力,最后在2014年6月22日中、哈、吉三国联合申报的陆上丝绸之路的东段“丝绸之路:长安-天山廊道的路网”成功申报为世界文化遗产,丝绸之路成为全人类的共同财富。
创新:由动植物传播体现和谐共融
丝绸之路在东西方绵亘万里,沿途的地理风物均不相同,正是这样的多样性才使得古代人民觉得有必要相互来往,开展货物的交易和文化的交流。
故此,我们对2021年的丝绸之路主题展览作出了大胆创新,主场展名为“万物生灵:丝绸之路上的动物与植物”。
丝路沿途国家与地区间动植物的传播途径并不相同,除了部分是自然界通过近邻关系自动传播的,有些则是作为贡品或礼物,由使者从一地传入另一地,或是通过商人贩运等方式发生地域转移。这些传播有些具有军事背景,有些是经济活动,还有些则是国家与地区之间友谊交往的见证。 这些不同地域的动植物物种沿着丝路传播,不仅增加了当地生物的多样性,大大丰富了人们的饮食结构,乃至衣、行、娱乐等生活的各个方面;而丰富多样的外来动植物物种也开拓了人们理解和接纳“异域文化”的包容力,带来了更为多元的文化意蕴,充分体现了不同国家、不同民族、不同文明之间的和谐共融。
展览试图以丝路上的动植物为切入口,根据文献记载,结合考古出土文物和自然动植物标本,诠释由这些外来动植物所构建的从生活享乐、物质文明到精神文化多维立体的文化交融环境,再现“丝路改变生活”这一主题主旨。
在具体的内容策划方面,展览分为序言和四个大单元,系统展示丝路沿线动植物物种的交流和传播,使观众能够了解很多日常生活中视为平常的物种,竟然是千年以来东西方世界文明交流的结果,从而深刻地感受到丝绸之路对人们生活的巨大影响力。
其中序言“五谷丰六畜兴”,自新石器时期到青铜时期,人类为了获取食物资源,除了采集和狩猎外,还开始栽培农作物和饲养家畜,这些被驯化的野生动植物在世界范围内传播。此部分以“五谷六畜”为代表,通过早期动植物分布地图和相关文物,展示国人最为熟悉的农作物和家畜也多源自早期的动植物传播与交流。
第一单元“从自然到神灵”,在通过丝路传播的动植物中,有一部分是作为神兽或者神祗化身的象征性动物,本身负载着丰富的区域地理特征和异域文化信息。本单元拟通过展示草原母题的装饰艺术品以及其他神兽形象的文物来展现主题。
第二单元“无数铃声遥过碛”,随着丝路贸易的兴盛,以及当时国家战略、边疆建设的需要,西域系天马、突厥马和骆驼等大型家养动物大量传入中原,如骆驼,到了唐代,就已成为军队后勤运输和中亚与中原民间商贸的主力。而像牛、羊、驴、骡等中原和长江流域地区原有的动植物,也由西域或北方草原传入了与本土不同的优良品种,推动了传入地运输力的开发。
第三单元“殊方异物上林苑”,除了作为贸易之路外,丝路也是一条连接不同国家与地区间的纽带,随着交往的深入,很多中原华夏地区原来未有的动植物物种,也被以贡品或礼物等形式献入皇家宫苑,并逐步为民间所熟识,甚至其中一些如狮子、大象等物种还演化成为传统中华文化中祥瑞图像的源头。
第四单元“丝路改变生活”,此部分将在整个银瀚厅内复原唐代西市和边塞巴扎的场景,将文物、标本、模型等相结合,展示沿着丝路传播而来的食物、香料、宠物等,通过这种方式再现丝路对普通人生活的巨大影响力,同时,通过听觉、触觉、嗅觉等多方位的感官刺激来加深观众的记忆。 傳播:方兴未艾 任重道远
这是一个关于丝路动植物的展览,展览以丝路学术名著《中国伊朗编》和《撒马尔罕的金桃》等作为切入口,讲述丝绸之路上自然生态的多样性,讲述文化交流中动物和植物的交流,以及交流对人们生活带来的改变。
这是一次考古类展品和自然类标本一同登台的展览。展品中不仅有大量来自全国各考古文物类博物馆的藏品,还得到了浙江自然博物院的大力支持。
这是一个有味道的展览。丝绸之路又称香料之路,味觉和嗅觉对人们生活来说也至关重要。我们在展览中加入了大量丝路上的味道,通过味道的展示,让人们加深对丝绸之路生态多样性和文化包容发展的理解。
要评估一个展览非常难。记得关于一个好展览的标准,国家博物馆馆长王春法提出过十个度:高度、广度、亮度、力度、深度、厚度、谐度、弧度、温度和拓展度。我的体会则有八个方面:立意切入要妙、观众定位要准、学术支撑要实、内容设计要新、展品选择要精、形式设计要适当、社教传播要活、成本控制要省。
七年来,中国丝绸博物馆在丝绸之路主题展览方面开展了长时间的策展研究、实践、探索等,渐渐形成了展览品牌,产生了社会影响,受到了广大观众和各界人士好评。“丝路之绸:起源、传播与交流”一出场就受到广大关注,近20国30余家学术机构成立了“国际丝路之绸研究联盟”。“锦绣世界:国际丝绸精品展”在2016年G20杭州峰会时得到多国“第一夫人”的赞赏,“古道新知:丝绸之路文物保护科技成果展”带来了“丝绸之路文物科技创新联盟”的诞生,“神机妙算:世界织机与织造艺术”引起全世界纺织史、科技史专家学者的关注,“丝路岁月:大时代的小故事”荣登2019丝绸之路文化遗产年报10大展览,而“众望同归:丝绸之路的前世今生”在2021年国际博物馆日上斩获第十九届全国博物馆陈列展览精品奖——人称中国博物馆界的奥斯卡。
为深入总结丝绸之路主题展览的办展经验,特别是针对2021年“万物生灵”开展的全新探索,我们收集了各类观众的各种评价,特别是举行了多次展览专题座谈会。省文化和旅游厅党组成员、省文物局局长杨建武在肯定展览的同时,提出五点启示:一是坚持解放思想,开拓思路,要有“胸怀祖国、面向世界”的气魄和开放的心态,充分整合各方资源,做大展览。二是坚持围绕中心,服务大局。博物馆要紧紧围绕国家的重大发展战略,置身于经济、社会、文化的中心思考。三是坚持与时俱进,不断创新,可以借鉴每年都办同一个主题展的形式,同时创新展陈的方式、内容和宣传形式。四是坚持加强合作,深化融合,学会搭建平台让更多企业参与,探索跨界、跨地域、跨行业办展,实现多元融合、互利共赢。五是坚持人本意识,效果导向。办展要以观众作为中心,让观众看得进、看得懂,吸引更多人来看。
放眼世界,构建人类命运共同体的倡议越来越受到国际社会的赞同;再看国内,“一带一路”的建设也是方兴未艾。所以我们相信,丝绸之路的主题展览还会继续得到重视和关注。由国家文物局和浙江省人民政府主导的“丝绸之路周”依然会持续充满活力地办下去,中国丝绸博物馆的丝路主题展也不会停下脚步。随着疫情得到有力控制社会经济的恢复,相信国际交往和文化交流也会渐渐回归正常。所以我们还是要积极思考和探索丝路主题展览的选题、策展,以及内容写作、形式设计的创新,拓展社教活动范围和传播途径。我们期待有更多的博物馆参与进来,有更多更好的丝路主题展览推向社会和国际。
(作者系中国丝绸博物馆馆长)
Between the Silk and the Road
By Zhao Feng
Silk Road has been a network of routes and channels for cultural exchanges between the East and the West. A large number of museums are located along the Silk Road, and it is little wonder that Silk Road-themed exhibitions are numerous.
In 2015, the China National Silk Museum formally proposed the academic concept of “silks from the Silk Road”, and hosted an exhibition on it in the same year. Since then, academic research on “silks from the Silk Road” has further developed and seven related exhibitions have been held so far.
In June 2014, “Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tian Shan Corridor”, jointly applied for by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, making the ancient Silk Road a common treasure of the human kind. As soon as the news reached China, the National Cultural Heritage Administration convened a meeting on the protection and management of the Silk Road. As the director of the China National Silk Museum, together with Chen Tongbin, an eminent architect, I was invited to attend the meeting. As the only two scholars, we were tasked with an important job: strengthening research on and popularization of the origins of silk. From then on, we started working on thematic exhibitions on the Silk Road, and floated the concept of “silks from the Silk Road”. An idea that I first raised in 2009 and later solidified through the establishment of the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT), “silks from the Silk Road” is closely related to “Silk Road”, although the former focuses on “silks” while the latter on “road”.
To curate such exhibitions, much like literature reviews before writing an academic paper, it is necessary to comb through past exhibitions. After scouring tons of exhibition catalogues around the world, we found that exhibitions on the Silk Road fell roughly into three categories. First, regional comprehensive exhibitions based on a museum’s own collections. Silk Road: The Surviving Treasures from the Northwest China (Gansu Provincial Museum), Splendor of Maritime Silk Road (Fujian Museum), Silk Road (National Museum of China) and the Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures (Nara National Museum in Japan) are some examples. Second, thematic exhibitions based on academic research. For example, Silk Roads, China Ships: An Exhibition of East-West Trade (Royal Ontario Museum) and Finding a Homeland at the End of the World (Hunan Museum). Third, popularization-aimed traveling exhibitions. For instance, the US and Japan have held many large exhibitions focused on the Silk Road. The exhibitions of Afghan national treasures worldwide and in China in the past few years were also highly popular.
Drawing on the experience of these exhibitions, the China National Silk Museum has created an exhibition series centered on two main themes, namely “silks from the Silk Road” and the “Silk Road”.
Silks from the Silk Road: Origin, Transmission and Exchange, an exhibition sponsored by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Zhejiang Provincial Government, co-sponsored by cultural heritage bureaus in Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai provinces as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and with the participation of 26 cultural institutions museums along the Silk Road, was held in September 2015 in Hangzhou’s West Lake Museum. The exhibition showcased nearly 140 pieces (sets) of silk and related items, showing how silk originated in China and spread to other parts of the world as well as cultural exchanges between the East and the West through the Silk Road. It was through such exchanges that the art of silk-making was improved and it was thanks to the Silk Road that silk products became available worldwide. A year later, in 2016, A World of Silks: Collections of Global Silk Art was held. The exhibition introduced the production and usage of silk in different regions of the world, and divided them into categories of weaving, tie dying and embroidery, among others. Some collections could be traced back to as early as the eighth century, but most of them came from the past two centuries. Coinciding with G20 summit, this special exhibition was presented, in the hope that people from all over the world could learn more about the Silk Road and silk art.
New Knowledge on Ancient Road: Silk Road Cultural Heritage Sci-tech Achievements, held in June 2017, systematically introduced the cultural heritage of “Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tian Shan Corridor”, uncovering its cultural as well as historical value.
With the support of academic institutions and scholars from over 20 countries, A World of Looms: Weaving Technology and Textile Arts in China and Beyond, which ran from May 30 to September 15, 2018, was the largest exhibition to present the rich cultural heritage of looms and weaving technologies from around the world. The displays included more than 50 looms and many of their associated textiles, organized by their geographical locations. These objects celebrated textile innovations through the lens of global textile traditions, highlighting the vital role of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. Furthermore, they illustrated the adaptions of looms and weaving practice worldwide in the face of rapid change of traditional customs. Ultimately, the exhibition called for the preservation of weaving knowledge, which is quintessential to all cultures.
The 2019 exhibition, Life Along the Silk Road: 13 Stories during the Great Era, tried to approach the Silk Road from a different perspective, concentrating on people instead of physical items: some 13 figures from different times, of mixed nationalities and identities, and with diverse life experiences. They are the Saka warrior, the King of the Xiongnu, the Bailiff at a Courier Station, the District Defender of Hexi, an aristocrat in Loulan, the General-in-Chief in Guyuan county, a merchant of Western Regions along the Silk Road, a moneylender in Xizhou prefecture, a Buddhist in Dunhuang, the daughter of a Customs Chief in Fuzhou city, a merchant on the Ship Nanhai No. 1, a warrior of the steppe, and the general in Yanchi county. The exhibition tried to reconstruct their lives through archeological pieces they left behind and then stitch together the “great era” that they lived in, an era of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, thus reproducing the unique features and cultural integration along the Silk Road. Then the 2020 exhibition, The Silk Roads: Before and After Richthofen, explored the “life” of the Silk Road from its original birth through Zhang Qian’s (164-114 BC) first mission to the Western Regions in 138 BC, to the formal “naming” of the Silk Road by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) in 1877, and finally to its inscription as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2014.
Stretching for thousands of miles between the East and the West, the Silk Road is known for its diverse geographical features. It was this diversity that brought ancient people together, communicating with each other, trading goods and engaging in cultural exchanges. One important aspect is the transmission of plants and animals along the Silk Road. In addition to natural manner, tributes or gifts of envoys and merchant trade were other ways of dispersion. As different regional plants and animals spread along the Silk Road, they not only enhanced the diversity of local habitat but also greatly enriched human diet, clothing, transportation, entertainment and other areas of life. Such a wealth of exotic plant and animal species also promoted inclusiveness, allowing people to understand and embrace “exotic cultures”.
For this reason, we have made drastic and innovative changes for the thematic exhibition of the 2021 Silk Road Week. Entitled “Creation from Creature: Plants and Animals on the Silk Road”, this exhibition took the plants and animals of the Silk Road, rather than physical relics and people, as its main subject. It used specimens and written records to interpret the multidimensional environment that these plants and animals helped build, eventually attempting to show that “the Silk Road changes lives”.
Change lives the Silk Road does. That is also what the China National Silk Museum has been doing for the past seven years with its Silk Road-themed exhibitions. As the idea of “Community with a Shared Future” and the Belt and Road Initiative gain growing international recognition, such exhibitions will continue to generate interest among the public and the academic circles. More museums are expected to join in our endeavor as well and curate an increasing number of high-quality exhibitions.
2015年以来,中国丝绸博物馆正式提出了“丝路之绸”的学术概念,同时开始每年推出原创的丝绸之路主题展。到今天为止,“丝路之绸”的学术研究已经扩展到“丝绸之路周”这一国内外大型盛会,丝绸之路的主题展也已推出了七期,渐渐形成了中国丝绸博物馆自己的展览系列和展览风格。
缘起:丝路之绸与丝绸之路
2014年6月,由中国、哈萨克斯坦与吉尔吉斯坦三国联合申报的“丝绸之路:长安—天山廊道路网”被联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)列入世界遗产名录,古代的丝绸之路成为全人类的共同财富。消息传来的同时,中国已开始进入丝绸之路的后申遗时代,国家文物局召开了世界文化遗产丝绸之路保护管理工作会议,中国境内的丝路遗产点及其主管部门负责人全部到会,我和陈同滨作为专家应邀出席,并接受了时任国家文物局副局长童明康的重要任务:加强对丝绸起源的研究和科普。
至此,我们开始了丝绸之路的主题展览和相关活动,提出了“丝路之绸”的概念。“丝路之绸”就是丝绸之路上的丝绸。“丝绸之路”与“丝路之绸”是两个伴生概念,各有侧重且相互关联——前者的关键词是“路”,后者则是“绸”。我最初提出这一概念大约是在2009年,逐步并以此為理念成立了国际丝路之绸研究联盟,此后使这一概念固化了下来。
要策划丝绸之路的主题展览,就要对已有的展览进行一番梳理。我们查阅了世界上已举办过的以丝绸之路为题或主要内容的展览目录,大致可分为:(1)基于收藏的区域性综合文物展。该类型以博物馆馆藏为基础,按照时间线分门别类向观众展示了丝绸之路的相关历史,例如:甘肃省博物馆“丝绸之路:大西北遗珍”、福建博物院“丝路帆远:海上丝绸之路文物精萃”、中国国家博物馆的“丝绸之路”、日本奈良国立博物馆“正仓院展”等;(2)基于学术研究的专题展。 如很多年前的“丝绸之路:汉唐织物”、加拿大皇家安大略博物馆“丝绸之路,中国船舶:东西方贸易展览”、湖南省博物馆“在最遥远的地方寻找故乡”等;(3)基于传播的巡展。例如,在美国和日本都曾举办过数量众多的冠以“丝绸之路”文物大展之名的展览,也在美国和日本各地巡展。日本平山郁夫丝绸之路美术馆也在中国境内的不同博物馆举办巡展。近几年热度极高的阿富汗国宝也在包括中国在内的世界各地进行巡展。
在这三类展览中,我本人参与过美国大都会博物馆举办的三大丝绸之路主题展览。在打造丝路主题展览品牌的过程中,我们不断拓宽展览的内涵和外延:一方面是立足国内,服务“一带一路”建设,这是作为负责国家一级博物馆、纺织服饰类专业博物馆的使命担当;另一方面是放眼国际,瞄准国际学术舞台,希望以研究型专题博物馆的姿态活跃在国际学术舞台上。
所以,我们的丝路主题展览一直在绸与路两条主线之间探索和实践:一条是丝路之绸,做好自身丝路之绸的研究,打造一批有“中国丝绸博物馆”学术特色的丝路主题展览。2015年的“丝路之绸”,以丝绸之路考古出土丝绸为主,展示中国丝绸历史和丝绸之路,着力讲丝绸本身,讲清丝绸是丝路的原动力;2016年的“锦绣世界”,从学习《世界纺织品5000年》开始,布局世界丝绸史,讲丝绸的贡献,讲中国丝绸为人类带来了美丽生活,除了向日本、韩国、俄罗斯借展文物,更多其他的都是自己征集展品;2018年的“神机妙算”,讲丝绸背后的技术,我们对最为复杂的中国古代织机已有较深了解,在此了解基础上再扩大到对世界织机的认识,讲述丝绸之路精神文明互鉴中的技术传播。而另一条主线就是丝绸之路,2017年的主题是“古道新知”,从自身有优势的纺织品保护出发,再扩大到各个门类,与国家文物局的其他20余家科研基地进行合作,讲述丝绸之路科学认知与文物保护的关键技术。2019年“丝路岁月”,开始关注丝绸之路上人的生活。2020年则是“众望同归”,聚焦丝绸之路的学术史。
回顾:从古老起源到共同财富
2015年9月,“丝路之绸:起源、传播与交流展”在西湖博物馆举办,浙江、河南、湖北、湖南、陕西、甘肃、青海、新疆八省区联动,26家相关文博考古单位参与。
展览的理念正是突出丝绸之路上的丝绸,我们旗帜鲜明地提出了它起源于中国、从东向西传播、继而东西方相互交流的概念。展览从26家文博考古机构选调所需展品,包括 “延年益寿大宜子孙”锦鸡鸣枕等多件国宝级文物在内的近140件(组)文物,通过展示丝绸之路的主要通道、主要时段出土的丝绸文物,说明丝绸在中国的起源、丝绸从东方向西方的传播以及东西方纺织文化在丝绸之路上的交流,说明世界丝绸艺术的变化和技术的提高,正是在这一交流过程中完成的,说明丝绸产品的衣被天下,也正是丝绸之路带来的辉煌成果。
古老的丝绸之路是古代世界东西方之间最为重要的贸易和文化交流通道,它犹如一条彩带,将中国和世界上其他国家、地区联系在了一起。作为丝绸之路上最重要的载体,藉由这条通道,原产于中国的丝绸及养蚕丝织技艺被传播到世界各地,并实现了丝绸生产技术的当地化,对世界各国社会经济文化的发展产生了极大的影响。此后,随着交流的不断加深,西方的织造风格又反向影响中国的丝绸生产,中国的传统丝织物也开始出现西方题材和西方设计形式。
一年之后,也就是2016年“锦绣世界:国际丝绸艺术精品展”举办。展览以地区为序,介绍世界各地生产或使用的丝绸种类,包括织造、印染、刺绣等大类,全部或部分使用丝绸材料。其中某些展品甚至早到8世纪,而大部分展品的年代则集中在近两个世纪。恰逢G20峰会在杭州召开,我们策划了这一展览,希望来自世界各地的人们通过这一展览更加了解丝绸之路、爱好丝绸艺术。
2017年6月,“古道新知:丝绸之路文化遗产保护科技成果展”则系统展示了世界文化遗产,其中“丝绸之路起始段长安—天山廊道”的文化遗产包括中国和哈萨克斯坦两国8个遗址的保护成果,从理论到实践、集中揭示了丝绸之路文化遗产蕴含的历史文化价值。在策展过程中我们要求所有的文物都有故事、有技术、有颜值,最后集聚科研基地的力量,形成科技联盟,通过这次展览在一带一路沿途产生较大的影响力。 “神机妙算:世界织机与纺织艺术展”是中国丝绸博物馆联合国际上20多个国家的学术机构和学者一起打造的最大的织机展览,于2018年5月30日至9月15日举办。神机妙算,不只是指织机和织机上的提花程序,更是指人类通过织机创造物质精神文明的整个科学和艺术过程。衣食住行是人类的基本需求,世界各地都有关于纺织的发明创造,所有的织机都能执行开口和织造的功能,生产出美丽而有个性的纺织品。展览按照空间分区,通过50多台种类各异的织机以及丰富多样的织物,展示织机的技术变革以及在当地习俗和传统文化背景下的织造实践,意在说明世界织机的多元发展、相互交流、各自创新、争相辉映的历史,说明织造技术给丝绸之路带来的繁荣昌盛,以及保存优秀传统纺织文化的重要性和紧迫性。
“丝路岁月:大时代下的小故事”,2019年的这一展览改变了通常的切入点,从丝路之物变换到了丝路上的人。我们寻找了13个时代不同、民族不同、身份不同、人生经历不同的丝路人物,他们是塞族勇士(俄罗斯巴泽雷克墓)、匈奴王(蒙古诺因乌拉墓)、驿站小吏(敦煌悬泉置啬夫弘)、河西郡首(武威雷台汉墓)、楼兰贵族(楼兰壁画墓)、固原将军(北周李贤)、丝路胡商(凉州萨保史君)、西州子钱家(吐鲁番左憧憙墓)、沙州佛子(河西都僧统洪辩)、市舶官之女(福州黄昇墓)、南海商人(南海一号沉船)、陇西豪门(漳县汪世显墓)和边城孤卫(宁夏鹽池杨钊墓),从他们所遗留下来的历史碎片,重塑在风云变幻的丝路岁月中这些人物或精彩似传奇、或平凡如你我的一生,进而拼贴出那个超越现代人想象的和平合作、开放包容的大时代,从而多视角地再现不同时期丝绸之路沿途不同地区的时代特征及文化碰撞。
2020年,“众望同归:丝绸之路的前世今生展”邀请了一个以荣新江、杭侃、景峰、刘进宝等一批学界大腕为核心的专家团队,在他们的建议下,我们把展览分成三大单元。第一单元是丝路前世,介绍李希霍芬提出丝绸之路前东西方文化交流的实际情况,按使节、僧侣、商人和传教士四个方面来梳理不同历史时期人们对当时东西方交通联系的记载。第二单元是丝路命名,介绍李希霍芬和他的时代以及提出丝绸之路的背景,包括1868-1872年间李希霍芬在中国进行的七次地质考察,特别是李希霍芬在1877年出版的《中国:亲身旅行的成果和以之为根据的研究》第一卷中,首次提出把汉代中国和中亚南部、西部以及印度之间的以丝绸贸易为主的交通路线称作“丝绸之路”。第三单元是丝路申遗,其实是在二战之后,丝绸之路的概念开始在学界、政界、艺术界、民间被传播越来越广,所以有了申遗的概念。联合国教科文组织也在1990-1995年间开展了五次国际性考察,是对丝绸之路空前绝后的宣传。正因如此,教科文组织开始策划和组织“丝绸之路”跨国申遗。经过26年的努力,最后在2014年6月22日中、哈、吉三国联合申报的陆上丝绸之路的东段“丝绸之路:长安-天山廊道的路网”成功申报为世界文化遗产,丝绸之路成为全人类的共同财富。
创新:由动植物传播体现和谐共融
丝绸之路在东西方绵亘万里,沿途的地理风物均不相同,正是这样的多样性才使得古代人民觉得有必要相互来往,开展货物的交易和文化的交流。
故此,我们对2021年的丝绸之路主题展览作出了大胆创新,主场展名为“万物生灵:丝绸之路上的动物与植物”。
丝路沿途国家与地区间动植物的传播途径并不相同,除了部分是自然界通过近邻关系自动传播的,有些则是作为贡品或礼物,由使者从一地传入另一地,或是通过商人贩运等方式发生地域转移。这些传播有些具有军事背景,有些是经济活动,还有些则是国家与地区之间友谊交往的见证。 这些不同地域的动植物物种沿着丝路传播,不仅增加了当地生物的多样性,大大丰富了人们的饮食结构,乃至衣、行、娱乐等生活的各个方面;而丰富多样的外来动植物物种也开拓了人们理解和接纳“异域文化”的包容力,带来了更为多元的文化意蕴,充分体现了不同国家、不同民族、不同文明之间的和谐共融。
展览试图以丝路上的动植物为切入口,根据文献记载,结合考古出土文物和自然动植物标本,诠释由这些外来动植物所构建的从生活享乐、物质文明到精神文化多维立体的文化交融环境,再现“丝路改变生活”这一主题主旨。
在具体的内容策划方面,展览分为序言和四个大单元,系统展示丝路沿线动植物物种的交流和传播,使观众能够了解很多日常生活中视为平常的物种,竟然是千年以来东西方世界文明交流的结果,从而深刻地感受到丝绸之路对人们生活的巨大影响力。
其中序言“五谷丰六畜兴”,自新石器时期到青铜时期,人类为了获取食物资源,除了采集和狩猎外,还开始栽培农作物和饲养家畜,这些被驯化的野生动植物在世界范围内传播。此部分以“五谷六畜”为代表,通过早期动植物分布地图和相关文物,展示国人最为熟悉的农作物和家畜也多源自早期的动植物传播与交流。
第一单元“从自然到神灵”,在通过丝路传播的动植物中,有一部分是作为神兽或者神祗化身的象征性动物,本身负载着丰富的区域地理特征和异域文化信息。本单元拟通过展示草原母题的装饰艺术品以及其他神兽形象的文物来展现主题。
第二单元“无数铃声遥过碛”,随着丝路贸易的兴盛,以及当时国家战略、边疆建设的需要,西域系天马、突厥马和骆驼等大型家养动物大量传入中原,如骆驼,到了唐代,就已成为军队后勤运输和中亚与中原民间商贸的主力。而像牛、羊、驴、骡等中原和长江流域地区原有的动植物,也由西域或北方草原传入了与本土不同的优良品种,推动了传入地运输力的开发。
第三单元“殊方异物上林苑”,除了作为贸易之路外,丝路也是一条连接不同国家与地区间的纽带,随着交往的深入,很多中原华夏地区原来未有的动植物物种,也被以贡品或礼物等形式献入皇家宫苑,并逐步为民间所熟识,甚至其中一些如狮子、大象等物种还演化成为传统中华文化中祥瑞图像的源头。
第四单元“丝路改变生活”,此部分将在整个银瀚厅内复原唐代西市和边塞巴扎的场景,将文物、标本、模型等相结合,展示沿着丝路传播而来的食物、香料、宠物等,通过这种方式再现丝路对普通人生活的巨大影响力,同时,通过听觉、触觉、嗅觉等多方位的感官刺激来加深观众的记忆。 傳播:方兴未艾 任重道远
这是一个关于丝路动植物的展览,展览以丝路学术名著《中国伊朗编》和《撒马尔罕的金桃》等作为切入口,讲述丝绸之路上自然生态的多样性,讲述文化交流中动物和植物的交流,以及交流对人们生活带来的改变。
这是一次考古类展品和自然类标本一同登台的展览。展品中不仅有大量来自全国各考古文物类博物馆的藏品,还得到了浙江自然博物院的大力支持。
这是一个有味道的展览。丝绸之路又称香料之路,味觉和嗅觉对人们生活来说也至关重要。我们在展览中加入了大量丝路上的味道,通过味道的展示,让人们加深对丝绸之路生态多样性和文化包容发展的理解。
要评估一个展览非常难。记得关于一个好展览的标准,国家博物馆馆长王春法提出过十个度:高度、广度、亮度、力度、深度、厚度、谐度、弧度、温度和拓展度。我的体会则有八个方面:立意切入要妙、观众定位要准、学术支撑要实、内容设计要新、展品选择要精、形式设计要适当、社教传播要活、成本控制要省。
七年来,中国丝绸博物馆在丝绸之路主题展览方面开展了长时间的策展研究、实践、探索等,渐渐形成了展览品牌,产生了社会影响,受到了广大观众和各界人士好评。“丝路之绸:起源、传播与交流”一出场就受到广大关注,近20国30余家学术机构成立了“国际丝路之绸研究联盟”。“锦绣世界:国际丝绸精品展”在2016年G20杭州峰会时得到多国“第一夫人”的赞赏,“古道新知:丝绸之路文物保护科技成果展”带来了“丝绸之路文物科技创新联盟”的诞生,“神机妙算:世界织机与织造艺术”引起全世界纺织史、科技史专家学者的关注,“丝路岁月:大时代的小故事”荣登2019丝绸之路文化遗产年报10大展览,而“众望同归:丝绸之路的前世今生”在2021年国际博物馆日上斩获第十九届全国博物馆陈列展览精品奖——人称中国博物馆界的奥斯卡。
为深入总结丝绸之路主题展览的办展经验,特别是针对2021年“万物生灵”开展的全新探索,我们收集了各类观众的各种评价,特别是举行了多次展览专题座谈会。省文化和旅游厅党组成员、省文物局局长杨建武在肯定展览的同时,提出五点启示:一是坚持解放思想,开拓思路,要有“胸怀祖国、面向世界”的气魄和开放的心态,充分整合各方资源,做大展览。二是坚持围绕中心,服务大局。博物馆要紧紧围绕国家的重大发展战略,置身于经济、社会、文化的中心思考。三是坚持与时俱进,不断创新,可以借鉴每年都办同一个主题展的形式,同时创新展陈的方式、内容和宣传形式。四是坚持加强合作,深化融合,学会搭建平台让更多企业参与,探索跨界、跨地域、跨行业办展,实现多元融合、互利共赢。五是坚持人本意识,效果导向。办展要以观众作为中心,让观众看得进、看得懂,吸引更多人来看。
放眼世界,构建人类命运共同体的倡议越来越受到国际社会的赞同;再看国内,“一带一路”的建设也是方兴未艾。所以我们相信,丝绸之路的主题展览还会继续得到重视和关注。由国家文物局和浙江省人民政府主导的“丝绸之路周”依然会持续充满活力地办下去,中国丝绸博物馆的丝路主题展也不会停下脚步。随着疫情得到有力控制社会经济的恢复,相信国际交往和文化交流也会渐渐回归正常。所以我们还是要积极思考和探索丝路主题展览的选题、策展,以及内容写作、形式设计的创新,拓展社教活动范围和传播途径。我们期待有更多的博物馆参与进来,有更多更好的丝路主题展览推向社会和国际。
(作者系中国丝绸博物馆馆长)
Between the Silk and the Road
By Zhao Feng
Silk Road has been a network of routes and channels for cultural exchanges between the East and the West. A large number of museums are located along the Silk Road, and it is little wonder that Silk Road-themed exhibitions are numerous.
In 2015, the China National Silk Museum formally proposed the academic concept of “silks from the Silk Road”, and hosted an exhibition on it in the same year. Since then, academic research on “silks from the Silk Road” has further developed and seven related exhibitions have been held so far.
In June 2014, “Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tian Shan Corridor”, jointly applied for by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, was designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, making the ancient Silk Road a common treasure of the human kind. As soon as the news reached China, the National Cultural Heritage Administration convened a meeting on the protection and management of the Silk Road. As the director of the China National Silk Museum, together with Chen Tongbin, an eminent architect, I was invited to attend the meeting. As the only two scholars, we were tasked with an important job: strengthening research on and popularization of the origins of silk. From then on, we started working on thematic exhibitions on the Silk Road, and floated the concept of “silks from the Silk Road”. An idea that I first raised in 2009 and later solidified through the establishment of the International Association for the Study of Silk Road Textiles (IASSRT), “silks from the Silk Road” is closely related to “Silk Road”, although the former focuses on “silks” while the latter on “road”.
To curate such exhibitions, much like literature reviews before writing an academic paper, it is necessary to comb through past exhibitions. After scouring tons of exhibition catalogues around the world, we found that exhibitions on the Silk Road fell roughly into three categories. First, regional comprehensive exhibitions based on a museum’s own collections. Silk Road: The Surviving Treasures from the Northwest China (Gansu Provincial Museum), Splendor of Maritime Silk Road (Fujian Museum), Silk Road (National Museum of China) and the Annual Exhibition of Shoso-in Treasures (Nara National Museum in Japan) are some examples. Second, thematic exhibitions based on academic research. For example, Silk Roads, China Ships: An Exhibition of East-West Trade (Royal Ontario Museum) and Finding a Homeland at the End of the World (Hunan Museum). Third, popularization-aimed traveling exhibitions. For instance, the US and Japan have held many large exhibitions focused on the Silk Road. The exhibitions of Afghan national treasures worldwide and in China in the past few years were also highly popular.
Drawing on the experience of these exhibitions, the China National Silk Museum has created an exhibition series centered on two main themes, namely “silks from the Silk Road” and the “Silk Road”.
Silks from the Silk Road: Origin, Transmission and Exchange, an exhibition sponsored by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Zhejiang Provincial Government, co-sponsored by cultural heritage bureaus in Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai provinces as well as the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and with the participation of 26 cultural institutions museums along the Silk Road, was held in September 2015 in Hangzhou’s West Lake Museum. The exhibition showcased nearly 140 pieces (sets) of silk and related items, showing how silk originated in China and spread to other parts of the world as well as cultural exchanges between the East and the West through the Silk Road. It was through such exchanges that the art of silk-making was improved and it was thanks to the Silk Road that silk products became available worldwide. A year later, in 2016, A World of Silks: Collections of Global Silk Art was held. The exhibition introduced the production and usage of silk in different regions of the world, and divided them into categories of weaving, tie dying and embroidery, among others. Some collections could be traced back to as early as the eighth century, but most of them came from the past two centuries. Coinciding with G20 summit, this special exhibition was presented, in the hope that people from all over the world could learn more about the Silk Road and silk art.
New Knowledge on Ancient Road: Silk Road Cultural Heritage Sci-tech Achievements, held in June 2017, systematically introduced the cultural heritage of “Silk Roads: The Routes Network of Chang’an-Tian Shan Corridor”, uncovering its cultural as well as historical value.
With the support of academic institutions and scholars from over 20 countries, A World of Looms: Weaving Technology and Textile Arts in China and Beyond, which ran from May 30 to September 15, 2018, was the largest exhibition to present the rich cultural heritage of looms and weaving technologies from around the world. The displays included more than 50 looms and many of their associated textiles, organized by their geographical locations. These objects celebrated textile innovations through the lens of global textile traditions, highlighting the vital role of cultural exchanges along the Silk Road. Furthermore, they illustrated the adaptions of looms and weaving practice worldwide in the face of rapid change of traditional customs. Ultimately, the exhibition called for the preservation of weaving knowledge, which is quintessential to all cultures.
The 2019 exhibition, Life Along the Silk Road: 13 Stories during the Great Era, tried to approach the Silk Road from a different perspective, concentrating on people instead of physical items: some 13 figures from different times, of mixed nationalities and identities, and with diverse life experiences. They are the Saka warrior, the King of the Xiongnu, the Bailiff at a Courier Station, the District Defender of Hexi, an aristocrat in Loulan, the General-in-Chief in Guyuan county, a merchant of Western Regions along the Silk Road, a moneylender in Xizhou prefecture, a Buddhist in Dunhuang, the daughter of a Customs Chief in Fuzhou city, a merchant on the Ship Nanhai No. 1, a warrior of the steppe, and the general in Yanchi county. The exhibition tried to reconstruct their lives through archeological pieces they left behind and then stitch together the “great era” that they lived in, an era of peace, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, thus reproducing the unique features and cultural integration along the Silk Road. Then the 2020 exhibition, The Silk Roads: Before and After Richthofen, explored the “life” of the Silk Road from its original birth through Zhang Qian’s (164-114 BC) first mission to the Western Regions in 138 BC, to the formal “naming” of the Silk Road by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen (1833-1905) in 1877, and finally to its inscription as a World Cultural Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2014.
Stretching for thousands of miles between the East and the West, the Silk Road is known for its diverse geographical features. It was this diversity that brought ancient people together, communicating with each other, trading goods and engaging in cultural exchanges. One important aspect is the transmission of plants and animals along the Silk Road. In addition to natural manner, tributes or gifts of envoys and merchant trade were other ways of dispersion. As different regional plants and animals spread along the Silk Road, they not only enhanced the diversity of local habitat but also greatly enriched human diet, clothing, transportation, entertainment and other areas of life. Such a wealth of exotic plant and animal species also promoted inclusiveness, allowing people to understand and embrace “exotic cultures”.
For this reason, we have made drastic and innovative changes for the thematic exhibition of the 2021 Silk Road Week. Entitled “Creation from Creature: Plants and Animals on the Silk Road”, this exhibition took the plants and animals of the Silk Road, rather than physical relics and people, as its main subject. It used specimens and written records to interpret the multidimensional environment that these plants and animals helped build, eventually attempting to show that “the Silk Road changes lives”.
Change lives the Silk Road does. That is also what the China National Silk Museum has been doing for the past seven years with its Silk Road-themed exhibitions. As the idea of “Community with a Shared Future” and the Belt and Road Initiative gain growing international recognition, such exhibitions will continue to generate interest among the public and the academic circles. More museums are expected to join in our endeavor as well and curate an increasing number of high-quality exhibitions.