Museum in Nanjing displays relics from six dynasties

Visitors enjoy a model of mileage drum weagon at The Oriental Metropolitan Museum/The 3rd-6th Century in Nanjing, Aug 11, 2014. It is called the "taxi" of the six dynasties period, especially as a vehicle for emperors. The mileage can be automatically calculated through the wheel rotation distance. [Photo/Xinhua]

Nanjing, as "the ancient capital of six dynasties", has established a museum displaying art ifacts from the ancient Wu, Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties from the early 3rd century to the end of 6th century.

The museum, built on the ruins of Jiankang castle from the ancient Jin court, is as large as 22,000-square-meters. It opens to the public on Monday, and presents over 1,200 artifacts, including porcelain, pottery figurines, epigraphs, building units, stone inscriptions, painting and calligraphy. Of note are a section of the city wall and the remains of a large-scale drainage facility from the ancient Jiankang castle that are open to visitors.

Nanjing was the capital of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period, the capital of the Song, Qi, Liang and Chen during the southern dynasties, the capital of Southern Tang dynasty, Ming dynasty, Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Republic of China. Therefore, it is called "the capital of ten dynasties". And since Wu, Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen are all regimes established by the Han people, Nanjing is also called "the ancient capital of six dynasties".

During the six dynasties, Nanjing was the first city in the world with a population that passed a million, and was called one of the world's two classical civilization centers, along with ancient Rome.