Okay, sports fans, hereยs a pop quiz for you: Who invented soccer? The Mayans? The British? The Russians? Wrong! It was the Chinese (okay, it was probably the Chinese; since we werenยt there in 1000 B.C., we canยt say for sure). They also invented gunpowder, writing, paper, the compass and printing, each of which changed the world. You can see how they did it at the Houston Museum of Natural Scienceยs newest exhibit, ยTreasures from Shanghai: 5,000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture.ย The exhibit includes objects that range from Neolithic era jade (thatยs 3000 B.C. to you and me), to Qing dynasty porcelain (the turn of the 20th century). ยTreasuresย offers a rare glimpse into the history of one of the oldest cultures in the world.
Sept. 14-July 6, 2007
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2007.