Musicians on camels, women on horseback, and terrifying guardians—these are some of the figurines found in Tang dynasty tombs
Art of China
This embroidery, discovered at Dunhuang, dates from China’s Tang dynasty (618–907) and depicts the Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak – in Buddhist tradition a favorite retreat of the Buddha and his disciples.
Buddha preaching at Vulture Peak embroidery
Like characters in a play, the terracotta figures were created to enact a part of the world of the First Emperor in the afterlife.
The Terracotta Warriors
This tomb confirmed Fu Hao’s role as one of the most important female military commanders of ancient China.
War and Sacrifice: The Tomb of Fu ...
Qin Shi Huangdi, the first unifier of China, is buried at the center of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianya.
The Tomb of the First Emperor
The composition of the painting seems to have borrowed depictions of the Three Laughers of Tiger Creek, a popular allegorical story about the meeting of three famous figures.
Shakyamuni, Laozi, and Confucius
The smoke from incense was used as a link between the earthly realm and the heavenly world.
Li (tripod)-shaped cloisonné incense burner
Artists during the Ming dynasty often honored their patrons by portraying them in a garden studio.
Shen Zhou, A Spring Gathering
The artwork is based on a well-known Chinese folktale about a group of monkeys attempting to capture the moon.
Xu Bing, Monkeys Grasp for the Moon
This Chinese calligraphy piece is written on a folding fan.
Wang Wen, Poem in cursive script
Painted in lavish mineral-based colors of blue, green, and brownish yellow, this painting is a typical “blue-and-green” landscape in Chinese art
Qiu Ying, Journey to Shu
A scholar playing a zither while enjoying some beautiful scenery is a popular genre in Chinese landscape paintings.
Copy after Qiu Ying, Playing the Zither ...
This handscroll vividly portrays eleven dancing dragons.
Eleven Dragons handscroll
This painting depicts the most important festival in China—the Lunar New Year.
Palace Women and Children Celebrating the New ...
This canteen exemplifies the dynamic flow of ideas and objects between the Islamic world and China that invigorated both artistic traditions.
Canteen
Ancestor portraits are typically commissioned by the family members of the deceased ancestors
Portraits of Shi Wenying and Lady Guan
This is an iconic photo of Cixi, the Empress Dowager of Qing China, in the early 1900s
Xunling, The Empress Dowager Cixi with foreign ...
China has captivated the world for thousands of years with its skill and creativity in working with silk.
Summer chaofu (formal court dress) for a ...
Tea drinking has been an essential part of Chinese culture for centuries
Landscape: tea sipping under willows
This painting belongs to a small group of eight similar, imperially commissioned works that depict the Qianlong Emperor as the bodhisattva Manjushri
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
