Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(160,218 posts)
Mon Jun 5, 2017, 01:26 AM Jun 2017

Age of Empires: What Qin and Han Dynasty Treasures Tell About Artistic Influences Along Silk Road

Jun 03, 2017 05:25 AM
By Sheila Melvin




The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first
Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose
was to protect the emperor in his afterlife. Photo: The Met




In his May 14 keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping extolled the glories of the ancient Silk Road and noted its roots in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- A.D. 220).

“Around 140 B.C.,” Xi said, “Zhang Qian, a royal emissary, left Chang'an, capital of the Han Dynasty. He traveled westward on a mission of peace and opened an overland route linking the East and the West, a daring undertaking which came to be known as Zhang Qian's journey to the Western regions.”

As Xi was addressing world leaders gathered at the Beijing forum, a major exhibition of Han and Qin dynasty art and relics was drawing crowds to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Called “Age of Empires: Chinese Art of the Qin and Han Dynasties,” the thought-provoking exhibition, which runs until July 16, is the latest, and arguably the most spectacular, of several international exhibitions to showcase the Han Dynasty in recent years. These include “Tomb Treasures: New Discoveries from China’s Han Dynasty,” at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum until May 29; the 2015 "Rise of the Celestial Empire: Consolidation and Cultural Exchange during the Han Dynasty" at the Hong Kong Museum of History; and the 2014 “Splendor of the Han Dynasty, the Rise of the Celestial Empire” at the Guimet Museum in Paris. President Xi himself co-authored the preface for the Guimet show, and in April of this year visited the Han Dynasty Museum in Hepu, Guangxi, the site of 20,000 Han tombs and the source of several objects on display at the Met.

The recent abundance of Han Dynasty exhibitions springs in part from spectacular late 20th and early 21st century archaeological discoveries of Han tombs, many unearthed during the construction of expressways. These tombs have provided an unparalleled window into the lives and belief systems of the Han elite – and even brought to light the world’s oldest egg, tea, and wine. But these discoveries have also proven to be the right tombs for the times; modern day political realities are an important contributor to the current Han vogue, among them the desire to connect the Belt and Road Initiative to the Silk Road and the current era to the Han Dynasty.




A jade burial suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which royal members in Han
dynasty were buried. This burial ensemble was excavated from the tomb of Dou Wan, wife
of Prince Liu Sheng of Zhongshan. Photo: The Met


More:
http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-06-03/101097409.html

1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Age of Empires: What Qin and Han Dynasty Treasures Tell About Artistic Influences Along Silk Road (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jun 2017 OP
Amazing ancient Chinese culture, history and art. democratisphere Jun 2017 #1
Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Science»Age of Empires: What Qin ...