Exhibition Title: Homeland and the World: Reading the Unity in Diversity of Chinese Civilization through "The Ballad of Mulan"

Exhibition Period: May 30, 2025 – October 8, 2025

Exhibition Venue: Datong Museum

Exhibition Overview:

This exhibition brings together over 140 cultural relics (sets) from six cultural and museum institutions across China, showcasing the latest research findings and archaeological discoveries related to the Northern Wei Dynasty in Datong. It explores the historical information of the Northern Wei period embedded within "The Ballad of Mulan" from various perspectives including agriculture, handicrafts, commerce, official systems, rituals, and urban construction. The exhibition reconstructs the social life and ethos of Mulan's era, interpreting the evolving pattern of unity within diversity in Chinese civilization against the backdrop of ethnic integration.

Centered on "The Ballad of Mulan" and structured along its poetic narrative, the exhibition traces the life journey of Mulan—a woman from the inner chambers—highlighting her sense of familial and national devotion, her ways of engagement, and her enterprising spirit within the context of a multi-ethnic, integrated society. Using the ballad as a starting point, the exhibition is divided into four sections: "Taking Her Father’s Place in the Army," "Galloping Across the Battlefield," "Receiving Honors in the Mingtang," and "Returning Home in Glory." These sections delve deeply into the historical essence of the Northern Wei Dynasty conveyed through the poem.

Beyond presenting Datong’s recent academic and archaeological achievements on the Northern Wei period, the exhibition employs artifacts, artistic installations, and interactive experiences to vividly recreate the story of Hua Mulan and the historical context of her time. Visitors are invited to appreciate the dynamic process of Chinese civilization's development—marked by diversity and integration—through the lens of ethnic convergence and cultural exchange.