Iconic art in cradle of Chinese culture

Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan to exhibit ancient sculptural treasures dating from Greek and Roman times

The sculptural arts are one of the gems of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Residents in North China's Shanxi province will have an opportunity to glimpse the essence of these cultural assets as an ancient sculpture arts exhibition will kick off at the beginning of the new year at Shanxi Museum in Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

The event, called "Classical and Glory" Ancient Greek and Roman Sculpture Arts Exhibition, will open on Wednesday.

The event's organizers said that this exhibition will be not only a display of artworks but "a dialogue of civilizations".

Shanxi is one of the cradles of Chinese culture, with its earliest ancient civilization reaching its peak some 3,000 years ago. This was evidenced in an archaeological discovery at the Taosi site in Xiangfen county, which pointed to the formation of one of the earliest states in China.

That was roughly when the city states emerged in ancient Greece, which had ushered in a period of social and cultural prosperity for more than 600 years — from c.8th century to c.2nd century. Even after the fall of ancient Greece in 146 BC, its culture and arts continued to influence those of the ancient Roman Empire, which began in the early 1st century.

As the poet Edgar Allan Poe wrote: "To the glory that was Greece, And the grandeur that was Rome", the ancient Greek and Roman cultures are the origins of Western civilization. The two cultures feature a continuity and ancient Roman Culture has a strong influence and inheritance from ancient Greek Culture.