Chongqing — Three exhibitions in southwest China’s Chongqing are competing in one of the country’s most prestigious museum programs, presenting a wide-ranging look at cultural heritage, wartime history and natural science.
The entries are part of the 23rd (2025) "Top 10" Museum Exhibitions in China selection event, a national program recognizing excellence in museum curation.
Chongqing’s candidates include an exhibition on the protection and utilization of cultural relics unearthed in the Three Gorges area at the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum; an exhibition on the Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the world anti-fascist united front at the Chongqing Hongyan Revolutionary History Museum; and the permanent exhibition at the Chongqing Natural Resources Science Museum.
Together, they offer complementary perspectives on the city’s past and present, spanning archaeology, modern history and the natural world.
At the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, a highlight is a bronze horse from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 A.D.), now fully restored after being unearthed in several damaged pieces.
Artifacts on display at the exhibition “Masterful Craftsmanship Restores Splendor: Exhibition on the Protection and Utilization of Cultural Relics Unearthed in the Three Gorges Area” at the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum. (Photo/Li Yuheng)
The exhibition brings together 895 artifacts, including 198 classified as precious cultural relics and 15 designated as first-grade national relics, making it one of the most comprehensive displays of Three Gorges archaeological finds in Chongqing in recent years.
It also sheds light on the work behind preservation. Since 2012, more than 100 specialists in Chongqing have restored over 15,000 artifacts from the Three Gorges area, combining traditional techniques with modern technologies such as high-magnification microscopy and CT scanning.
Another exhibition focuses on a pivotal period in modern history.
Held at the Chongqing Hongyan Revolutionary History Museum, it commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
It examines the role of the Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in promoting international cooperation during World War II.
Visitors view exhibits at a themed exhibition in Chongqing. (Photo/Qi Lansen)
The exhibition includes 378 historical photographs and 85 sets of archival materials and artifacts, among them 15 first-grade national relics.
Several items are being publicly displayed for the first time, including records from the Central Publicity Department of the Kuomintang (KMT) concerning the interception of a telegram from a foreign journalist in Yan’an to The Associated Press.
It also features the oil painting “Zhou Enlai and His Friends” by Gao Xiaohua, presented through an interactive digital system that enhances visitor engagement.
The third exhibition turns to the natural world.
The Chongqing Natural Resources Science Museum, located in Liangjiang New Area, spans 5,000 square meters and showcases the region's geological evolution and natural resources.
Among its key exhibits are fossils of Mamenchisaurus, a Jurassic dinosaur measuring about 24 meters (79 feet) in length, and Huanghetitan, a species from the Cretaceous period.
A reconstructed model of the Mamenchisaurus from the Three Rivers region is on display in the main hall of the Chongqing Natural Resources Science Museum (left). (Photo/The Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources)
The museum also displays dinosaur fossils discovered in the Three Gorges region, along with fossils of Ailuropoda baconi, an extinct relative of the giant panda.
A central feature is a 15-meter (49-foot) stratigraphic rock display composed of samples from different geological periods, illustrating roughly 800 million years of Earth’s history in the area.
Open to the public free of charge since 2023, the museum has become an important venue for science education, particularly for students and young visitors.
As the national selection process unfolds, the three exhibitions together present a cohesive narrative of Chongqing as a city shaped by deep history, revolutionary legacy and natural evolution, offering audiences at home and abroad a clearer understanding of its cultural depth and scientific significance.