Publisher's Synopsis
Stunning works of art in gold, silver, glass and stone, many of them recently excavated and virtually unknown outside China, shed light on a pivotal epoch in Chinese history between the 4th and 7th centuries, when Buddhism took root and trade in exotic luxuries flourished along the Silk Road. A section of northwest China, now the modern provinces of Gansu and Ningzia, formed a gateway into China from the West through which monks, merchants and nomads travelled, carrying with them new religions, artistic traditions, and artifacts, many of which fundamentally transformed Chinese society and culture.;This book, accompanying an exhibition at the Asia Society in New York, is a study by an international team of contributors who analyze recently excavated objects, including beautiful Buddhist sculptures, Byzantine coins and silver Sasanian bowls, to enable historians, students of Chinese history and culture, and archaeologists, as well as collectors of Asian art, to understand the cross-cultural influences that took place in Central Asia before China closed its doors to the West during the Tang dynasty.
