Elite and Popular Culture of Old China September 12, 2010

Historically, the Chinese people have been divided into a majority of common farmers and an elite minority of scholars chosen by examination to serve as government officials. This exhibit will highlight the arts, entertainments and handmade utensils of each class: from operas that bring folk stories to life to ancient script etched into stone chops. Farmers cultivated the soil while scholars cultivated the mind, but each activity was an integral part of shaping and maintaining the Chinese culture that has endured into the present.