CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

TANG POTTERY
FUNERARY
FIGURES FROM
XI'AN, SHAANXI
PROVINCE
During the Early Tang dynasty (seventh and eighth centuries CE), a large percentage of the
Chinese hereditary aristocracy moved from its ancestral homes to the great cities of Xi'an
and Luoyang. In earlier dynasties, the competition for dominance among these families was
informed by the wealth from inherited lands and titles, as well as by the influence gained from
generations of regional power. Because they were large landholders as well as government
officials, this elite controlled not only a great deal of the political power in China but also much
of the means of production, the natural resources, and the ability to trade for items. This group
was powerful both in politics and, as patrons, in the arts. Their new concentration in these
cities, however, both separated them from local power sources and brought them together with
people of like backgrounds and interests. The accumulation of numerous wealthy, sophisticated,
and worldly individuals with large amounts of leisure time in a few locations created a
true metropolitan elite that demanded an abundance of exotic luxury items; their changing
material demands defined aesthetic taste and fashion. Arts of all kinds flourished under their
patronage, exemplified in the surviving glories of the Tang capital at Xi'an, at the time the
largest and most cosmopolitan city in the world.
The major population centers of the Tang dynasty were located in the north, in what
is now Hebei, Henan, and parts of Shaanxi provinces. Xi'an, located to the west of these population
centers, was the logical point of entry for trade coming over the land routes that connected
China to the West. Along these roads came many of the exotic foreign goods so eagerly
sought by the Tang court. The seventh and eighth centuries mark the point at which the Chinese
were most outward looking; this was particularly true of the hereditary aristocracy. While
still confident of the superiority of Chinese culture, they were also in contact with other
advanced cultures, something relatively new to China. A fascination with the material culture
of peoples beyond their own immediate borders was one of the shared characteristics of the
Tang nobility.
Trade over the inland routes was greatly encouraged by the large numbers of Buddhist
missionaries who traveled between China and the loci of their faith in Kashmir, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and northern India. Prior to the fall of the Sassanian empire in the seventh century
CE, textiles, glass, and metalwork from Persia found a ready market at the Tang court, as did
music, musical instruments, and musicians from Central Asia. In addition the Chinese sought
wine and exotic fruits such as peaches and grapes from oasis kingdoms in Central Asia. The
major sources for jade, the most precious stone to the Chinese, were in Manasi and Hetian in
modern Xinjiang. It was much sought after as a raw material for use in Chinese workshops to
create a broad range of luxury goods. Exotic animals were also sought, and lions, elephants, and
a whole range of other beasts found their way into the imperial zoos. The most prized animals
were the great horses of Central Asia. In turn, the Chinese exported silk, ceramics, and other
luxury goods.
488 EARLY IMPERIAL CHINA