Rare coins, funky furniture: Henan Museum to host Luxembourg history exhibit

Inside a nondescript warehouse in Luxembourg, Muriel Prieur and her colleague were hunched over a collapsible table. One wearing a magnifying visor, the other holding a flashlight. They were meticulously inspecting an ancient strainer for defects.

Leaning over a binder bursting at the seams, Prieur examined a strainer. It’s one of more than 200 artifacts that her team at the Luxembourg National Museum of Archeology, History and Art carefully packaged for an upcoming exhibition at the Henan Museum in Zhengzhou, China.

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“There are items from prehistory until the 21st century, everything symbolizing the culture of Luxembourg and they were chosen really to give an overview of Luxembourg's culture to the Chinese people,” explained Prieur, who heads up the museum’s management department and logistics.

In total, 45 wooden crates weighing some 8.5 tons were shipped to Zhengzhou last week on CargoLux, a cargo airline partly owned by Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment. Inside were rare coins, paintings, ceramics and even furniture which will be on display at the Henan Museum from March 27.

Luxembourg museum director Michel Polfer said the items were carefully curated with the input of experts from the Henan Museum, which staged a similar exhibition on the origins of Chinese civilization in Luxembourg in 2018.

“It was one of the most visited exhibitions ever in the history of this museum. The items were fantastic,” he said. “I think it's a very good way of communicating between people, between nations, between civilizations.”

The cultural exchange coincides with the launch of the first direct commercial flight linking China and Luxembourg, the latest stop along the Air Silk Road. The once-a-week flight on China Southern Airlines launched in December and is seen as a way to expand the economic and cultural links between the countries.

“We trust the culture can bridge people together rather than dividing the world,” said Hua Ning, China’s Ambassador to Luxembourg. “So under the current tension of the geopolitical landscape I think we need to promote a more cultural exchange between the different countries so people can learn from each other and better understand each other

The exhibition will be open to the public until August 4, 2024.

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