Gansu remains in vanguard of global trade

A green horse head mask based on the bronze galloping horse, a cultural relic unearthed in Gansu province, on sale at the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou on Jan 4. [Chen Bin/Xinhua]

The horse is a legendary animal in the northwestern province of Gansu, a key part of the ancient Silk Road that long witnessed exchanges between China and the West. Today, the animal is still winning people's hearts.

The latest favorite is a stuffed "green horse" toy that wears a big grin on its face and whose design is based on a national treasure unearthed in Gansu.

The toy's cute, goofy appearance has seen it gain great popularity among young people. Since it was launched in June 2022, nearly 100,000 have been sold, making the toy the best-selling souvenir at the Gansu Provincial Museum and encouraging people to learn the story behind the famous local cultural relic. The smiling toy stands on one leg, with an innocent wide-eyed bird under its hoof, replicating the posture and details of the relic, a bronze galloping horse that is displayed at the museum.

The bronze galloping horse, made during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), was unearthed in the 1960s in a tomb in Leitai, Wuwei, Gansu. It is famous for being perfectly balanced as all its weight is supported by the thin rear right leg that rests on a flying swallow.

Also known as "the galloping horse treading on a flying swallow", its profile is printed on the Chinese tourism logo.

Jia Jianwei, director of the museum, said: "To illustrate the high speed of the horse, the designer showed one foot standing on the back of a fast bird in flight. The galloping horse is not a specific species, but an artwork that mixes the best features of various kinds of horse."

He added that the artifact was made at a time when different Western equine species were being bought and bred with local horses.