The exhibition investigates the origin, continuation, and development of the Chinese idea of li jie (rites and propriety), by taking nearly 440 pieces of fine artifacts as clues. It seeks to uncover ancient wisdom, to interpret China to the world, and to highlight the importance of Shandong as the origin of “Eastern Civilization” in the historical process of the development of Chinese civilization. The exhibition is divided into seven units, The Light of Dawn: Rise of the First Rite; Between Sacred Mountains and the Sea: Jade Rites in All Directions; Royal Rites in the State of Lu: Transmissions of All Under Heaven; The Noblemen at Lu: Prosperity and Glory Since the Han; Admiring Lofty Heights: Worship of Confucius, Mount Tai, and the Penglai Immortals; Pictures and Drawings of Heaven and Earth: Transmitting Antiquity through Carvings and Steles; and The Eastern Smile: Buddhist Crafts of the Northern Dynasties. The seven units, from different perspectives, demonstrate the cultural identity of the East, as well as its self-propagating development process.
