Museum of Chinese Agricultural Civilization

Museum of Chinese Agricultural Civilization

The Museum of Chinese Agricultural Civilization is a science education base.

The Museum of Chinese Agricultural Civilization is China’s first thematic museum systematically collecting, researching, and exhibiting the history and culture of Chinese agriculture. It was jointly established by Nanjing Agricultural University and the Nanjing Museum, and includes departments such as the Office, Cultural Relics Acquisition Department, Exhibition Planning Department, Research Department, and Publicity and Promotion Department. It is located at No. 1 Nongbo Road, Nanjing Agricultural University. The museum currently has a construction area of 2,000 square meters, including 1,500 square meters of exhibition space.

Basic Exhibitions

The basic exhibitions consist of six parts: the first introduces the origins of Chinese agricultural civilization; the second showcases the establishment and development of traditional agricultural technology systems; the third covers the historical evolution of China’s agricultural systems; the fourth highlights the status and influence of traditional Chinese agriculture in global agricultural development; the fifth presents the rich variety of rural life and agricultural culture; and the sixth displays the history of Nanjing Agricultural University, using objects, photos, and text to illustrate the university’s spirit of passing on the torch and forging ahead.

Major Collections

The major collections of the Museum of Chinese Agricultural Civilization include over 1,000 ancient agricultural production tools, 346 original editions of ancient agricultural books totaling more than 3,000 volumes, ancient agricultural life and cultural items, specimens of ancient crops and animals, as well as various soil samples from both domestic and international sources. Among them, 15 items—including the Ming Dynasty Jiajing edition of Qi Min Yao Shu (Important Arts for the People’s Welfare) carved by Ma Zhiqing, the Chongzhen edition of Nong Zheng Quan Shu (Complete Book on Agriculture) printed by Pinglu Hall, the Ming Dynasty edition of Tang Song Bai Kong Liu Tie (Six Collections of Bai and Kong from Tang and Song), and the Ming Dynasty edition of Hua Shi Zuo Bian (Left Compilation of Flower History)—have been designated as rare ancient texts by the National Ancient Books Sorting Group.

Cultural Relics Acquisition

To enrich its exhibits, the museum began soliciting cultural relics nationwide in September 2003, focusing primarily on Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Shandong—the birthplaces of Yellow River civilization—and Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the cradles of Yangtze River civilization. So far, hundreds of cultural relics have been collected, including stone tools, stone knives, and stone axes over 6,000 years old; carbonized seeds over 7,000 years old; and animal bones from poultry domesticated over 8,000 years ago. In addition, there are numerous models, colorful real-scene photographs, and works by famous artists depicting farming scenes and local folk customs. There are many interesting artifacts: one is a first-class national treasure—a Eastern Han Dynasty pottery rice paddy— which not only vividly shows fields planted with crops divided into different shapes but also features a turtle and a loach in the field. A Han Dynasty pottery stove includes not only a ladle, brush, fire hook, fish, and chicken, but also a sneaky mouse stealing oil. A glazed pottery zun (vessel) unusually features a Boshan incense burner-style lid, with bears, tigers, and wolves—ancient auspicious beasts—among the mountains, and the vessel’s feet are three adorable little bears. Also on display are a pair of painted wooden statues of the Chinese deity of land (Tudi Gong) and goddess (Tudi Po) from a Qing Dynasty Suzhou temple; they look kind and amiable, with Tudi Gong wearing a round landlord-style hat, sporting a white beard, and holding an ingot in his right hand, while the plump Tudi Po wears colorful clothes with her hands tucked into her wide sleeves. Additionally, there are labor tools and daily items that reflect the development of ancient Chinese agricultural science and culture.

Museum Treasures

According to Wang Siming, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Nanjing Agricultural University and Director of the Agricultural Museum, the museum has three treasured items: the first is a chicken egg from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, likely the oldest egg in the world. When excavated, the eggs were stored in a pottery jar and, having endured over 2,000 years, are very fragile. The museum only removed a shallow layer of soil inside the jar, revealing six or seven eggs, while the rest remain sealed in the original earth—so they don’t know exactly how many eggs are in the jar. The second treasure is a set of eight Ming Dynasty Jiajing editions of Qi Min Yao Shu, which dates back 480 years and is the earliest and most complete surviving agricultural book in China. Only two sets exist nationwide; the other is housed in the Shanghai Museum. The third treasure is China’s earliest sample of penicillin, successfully cultivated in the 1940s by Mr. Fan Qingsheng, who brought back the strain from abroad. Once produced, it was immediately used in the War of Resistance Against Japan, saving countless Chinese soldiers and civilians.

Address: No. 1 Nongbo Road, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing City