Features
Sancai figure reveals openness of the Tang Dynasty
Updated: Oct 24, 2022
www.chinaservicesinfo.com
Print
Share - WeChat
Do you want to enjoy a unique performance from the Tang Dynasty (618-907)? A sancai pottery figure shows a howling camel bearing on its back an itinerant band: seven male musicians and a female singer. The musicians sit around the singer on an elevated saddle, wearing Chinese-style clothing but playing musical instruments that were introduced from Central Asia.
Unearthed from a tomb in the western suburb of Xi’an in 1959, the figure reveals the influence of foreign music during the Tang Dynasty and proves its prosperity and openness at that time. The Shaanxi History Museum holds the figure in its permanent collection.
