Countryside is the basic carrier of the Chinese civilization, the soil in which the Chinese excellent traditional culture is rooted, the cradle for the victory of the Chinese revolution, and an important foundation for the prosperity and development of modern China. As for nostalgia, it is the deep memory and attachment to the hometown life that stays in people's heart.
Located at the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and surrounded by seas on the east, Shandong Province is the hometown of Confucius and one of the birthplaces of the Chinese excellent traditional culture . In the long agrarian age, Shandong people have shaped the folk art integrating the features of both the Yellow River culture and the littoral culture with their diligence and wisdom in the process of getting along with nature and making a life. Farm implements and wickerwork with different functions, artistic and comfortable living space, varied eating utensils, ingenious embroideries and calicos, exquisite articles for festival customs, and interesting toys are all the expressions of their pursuit for a prosperous and beautiful life.
In the four parts of “Farm Tools”, “A Jovial Life”, “Gorgeous Garments” and “Countryside Customs”, the Exhibition showcases over 1,500 pieces (sets) of folk art objects which breaks the original sorting to reproduce their usages and the cultural context, in order to comprehensively reflect the production and living conditions of traditional rural society in Shandong as well as the value orientation and aesthetic interest contained therein.