Once upon a time in Liyang

Fast-forward to 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, another flourishing Neolithic culture known as the Gaomiao created the most attention-stealing artifacts at the exhibition — pottery patterned with intricate, imaginative motifs that embody religious beliefs.

On the upper and exterior surfaces of these pots, cups and plates are patterns which scholars have identified as combining birds, the faces of beasts and the sun.

"People became more sensitive to what was happening in nature. They translated what they had observed in the environment into the objects they used, enriched by their imagination," Zhang says.

"The worship of sun was derived from perceptions of the changes of nature and how these changes, for example, sunrise and sunset, influenced their lives and agriculture. It laid a foundation for developing a calendar."

This trip through time ends with jade pieces from the Sunjiagang site from late Neolithic period, more than 4,000 years ago. More animal motifs appear on them, including eagles, tigers, frogs and cicadas. Meanwhile, pottery from the site have similar shapes and decorative motifs to those found at other sites from the same period along the Yellow River, evidence of exchanges between Hunan and other cultures to the north.

Chen Xingcan, deputy director of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says the exhibition will improve understanding of the course of prehistoric civilization in Hunan, of Chinese civilization, and will strengthen cultural confidence.