Tri-color (san-ts'ai) camel with musicians
Hieght: 56.7cm
Camel Height: 48.5cm
Musicians Height: 11.5cm
Collection of the Shaanix History Museum

White stoneware offering bowl with stem foot
Hieght: 22.7cm
Diameter: 18cm
Collection of the Shaanxi History Museum

Standing Bodhisattva fragment
Hieght: 110cm
Collection of the Xian Forest of Stelae Museum

World of The Heavenly Khan
Treasures of the Tang Dynasty
Special Exhibition Hall (Library Building)
2002/04/20 - 2002/07/21

After the T'ang was established, the dynasty came to flourish and prosper, attracting people and goods from all over to make China a truly cosmopolitan and vibrant country. According to some estimates, more than 70 countries and regions conducted trade with China throughout the course of the dynasty. When Emperor T'ai-tsung wrote in his verse "Feast for Officials at the Hsuan-wu Gate on a Spring Day" about the glory and pride of the T'ang court filled with foreign emissaries from surrounding regions, he was describing in the Chen-kuan era (627-649) an international event celebrating all with the material and cultural wealth that the dynasty would enjoy.

It was in the early years that clan leaders from the north gathered in Ch'ang-an in Szechwan. These clan leaders chose Li Shih-min (later known as Emperor T'ai-tsung) as the "Heavenly Khan", becoming the supreme ruler over the various "chieftains" and "khans". The administration of the Heavenly Khan led to an expansion and prosperity of a country where fashionable trends spread quickly. In particular, high T'ang culture in the political center would become popular throughout the region.

The cultural objects in this exhibition, totaling 120 sets with about 250 pieces, are from twelve institutions headed by the Bureau of Cultural Relics in Shaanxi Province. The contents include gold and silver objects, jades, stone carvings, and ceramic figurines. More than ten different types of materials are reflected in these objects. Some were made from a single material, while others are a combination. The art of combining materials in the T'ang dynasty reached a level of harmony and beauty unparalleled either before or after. A particular emphasis was placed on gold and silver, and these precious metals were widely used and applied, such as on stone carvings. Furthermore, two Yueh ware ceramics excavated from Fa-men Temple were decorated with bird and flower arrangements in gold and silver, which were achieved through the use of lacquer applique. These imperial "mi-se ceramics" with their subtle yellowish-green glaze and gold-coated rims show how a single object exquisitely combined the arts of ceramic ware, gold- and silver-work, and lacquer ware with majesty and beauty.

Art and crafts from the 7th to the mid-9th century reflect the absorption of many foreign cultures for a grand imperial style of the East. In this setting, the capital of Ch'ang-an became an international center that attracted and disseminated many cultures. The city was a nexus for material and cultural life, as seen in the imagery of dance and music performed on a tri-color (san-ts'ai) ceramic camel with plump Chinese ladies or the muscular foreign men singing on another. These images reflect the height of culture that was achieved at the court in Ch'ang-an.

The excavated objects here represent the international manner of T'ang culture with its vibrant mix of foreign peoples and materials. Thus, the works may be appreciated not only for their beauty as art but also as images of life and vigor that characterized the capital of Ch'ang-an in the T'ang dynasty.