The exhibition “The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great” opens on 19 December 2023 at its first stop, the Hunan Museum in Changsha, thus beginning its long journey in China. The Hunan Museum, one of the country’s major museums, attracts more than four million visitors annually.

The exhibition contains more than one hundred and seventy (170) exhibits, artifacts of ancient Greek sculpture, painting and jewellery from 14 Greek museums and collections. After its presentation at the Hunan Museum (18 December 2023 to 18 May 2024), it will travel to the Nanjing Museum in Nanjing (June to November 2024), followed by the Capital Museum in Beijing (December 2024 to May 2025).

The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, made the following statement:

“We are delighted that the exhibition “The Greeks: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great”, opens its doors at the Hunan Museum in Changsha, China.

It is a valuable journey to the Greek world. It starts from about 6000 BC and unfolds until the 2nd century BC, from prehistoric times to the Hellenistic period. It is not a simple listing of exhibits from each period but demonstrates the essential coherence of the periods with each other and the monuments they occupied.

The presentation of the exhibition in China, a nation with one of the oldest cultures, highlights the strengthening, deepening and cooperation of relations between the two countries in the field of culture. As I said on my recent visit to China, “knowledge of the ancient world and awareness of our peoples is the greatest weapon in meeting modern challenges. Our ancient traditions can be an inspiration for renewing, in modern ways, our cultural and creative industries”.

Greek culture stimulates and inspires both the West and the East.”

The exhibition is an anthropocentric journey through time with the Greeks as the thematic axis, as they are revealed on the basis of excavation data and historical evidence from prehistoric to Hellenistic times. Through the eyes of mythical and historical figures such as Agamemnon, Homer, Aeschylus, Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Pericles, Philip II and Alexander the Great as well as priests, warriors, athletes and citizens, the Chinese audience will have the opportunity to follow the genesis of democracy, Western philosophy and the arts back to their roots. The timeless presentation of Greek culture through the display of unique works of art contributes to the further development of cultural diplomacy as well as the cultivation of dialogue and communication with Chinese culture.

The exhibition is organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with three major museums in China, the Hunan Museum, the Nanjing Museum and the Capital Museum.