Worth a Visit: Explore China at the Field Museum

With over 350 objects — including rare textiles, rubbings, ceramics, and cargo from a Java Sea shipwreck — the “Cyrus Tang Hall of China” exhibition at the Field Museum in Chicago focuses on China’s 5,000 years of history, culture, and perspectives. The permanent showing (the largest of its kind in the U.S.) is divided into several galleries, starting with China’s prehistory and then organizing itself according to theme, rather than chronology, with topics such as emperors, religion and trade. Highlights include a shadow puppet performance of the epic tale Journey to the West and an animated map of dynastic China’s shifting political borders. It closes with the “Sue Ling Gin Garden,” a stunning indoor Chinese rock garden featuring imported spirit stones that overlooks Lake Michigan. To learn more, visit: fieldmuseum.org.