[Opinion] Shanxi Province

Although China’s capital is now Beijing, it is Xi’an that was the capital throughout the Chinese dynasties. Fourteen dynasties, including the Qin, which unified China for the first time, the Han that built China’s national identity, and the Tang, which developed China into a global power through promoting trade with the West, thrived in the city of Xi’an for around 1,100 years. For Koreans, its ancient name, Chang’an, sounds more familiar. Shanxi Province, for which Xi’an is the provincial capital, commenced the Huang He or Yellow River Civilization, flourishing in the ancient dynasties of Xia, Yin, and Zhou.

The province’s cultural heritage is now on display in the Shanxi Province culture exhibition at Seoul Museum of History Exhibits until September 9. The exhibition hall is guarded with a terracotta warrior from the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, which, as one of the ten best-preserved figures, made its way across the Yellow Sea. Excavated along with the figures, a bronze goose seems so alive, gleaming in its beautiful silhouette. A camel-shaped Tang Sancai and tri-color porcelain ware from the Tang Dynasty, embodies the confidence of the city of Chang’an as the starting point of the Silk Road and a metropolis from the seventh to ninth centuries. Purportedly, the existence of such an intact and time-honored ceramics is particularly rare.

Behind the exhibition of treasures was a genuine effort by the Shanxi Provincial Government. All that the Chinese province requested was a venue for the exhibition. It paid for insurance and transportation, in addition to rental. In fact, the exhibition actually aims at attracting Olympic tourists to Xi’an, which is within an hour and a half’s flight from Beijing. The exhibition brochure also carries the inviting message of “2008 Beijing Olympics, Visit Xi’an.”

The Seoul Museum of History displayed Chinese national treasures until last month, and among the total of 325 items, 65 came from Shanxi Province. This time around, the province sent an additional 30 priceless artifacts to the museum asking if it could exhibit Shanxi treasures separately, through a special arrangement. Shanxi is not the only Chinese province attempting to lure Korean tourists. China has an incomparable number of tourism resources and spares no effort in the development of its tourism industry. It is a stark contrast that Korea remains complacent despite the ever-growing travel deficit incurred by overseas travel expenses.

Heo Seung-ho, Editorial writer, tigera@donga.com