One Million Days in China is Glasgow Museums’ first major Chinese exhibition.

One Million Days in China is a unique exhibition which introduces, explores and celebrates 4000 years of Chinese history and culture through Sir William Burrell’s world-class collection of Chinese art.

One Million Days in China will take you on tour to discover what Sir William Burrell’s Chinese collection can tell us about ancient China, archaeology, the emergence of a writing system, beliefs in life after death and ancestor worship.

You can also find out about Sir Williams Burrell and the London Art market, and how this Glasgow shipping magnate amassed one of the most important collections of Chinese obejcts in Britain.

The exhibition at The Burrell Collection features 150 objects from Sir William Burrell’s Chinese Collection, ranging from earthenwares, bronzes, ceramics and jades, as well as a Chinese painting and textile. Many of the objects are on display for the first time. Loans from The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and The Oriental Museum in Durham are also featured in the exhibition.

The online exhibition features 48 objects from the exhibition. Come with us on a voyage of discovery that will take you from the China of 4,000 years ago to the Chinese Community in Glasgow today.

A series of free lectures, adult and children workshops, school workshops and performances will give everyone the opportunity to see many aspects of China’s past and present. Visit our Events page for more details.

Themed tours based on the permanent collection of Chinese art at The Burrell Collection will take place twice weekly until the exhibition closes on 13 February 2005.

Exhibition supported by Chiang Ching Kuo Foundation.