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The Tao Te Ching or Laozi is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism. 2nd century BCE, Han Dynasty, unearthed from Mawangdui tomb, Chansha, Hunan Province, China.

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The Tao Te Ching or Laozi is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism. 2nd century BCE, Han Dynasty, unearthed from Mawangdui tomb, Chansha, Hunan Province, China.

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A 2nd century BCE bamboo chest from the Western Han Dynasty, unearthed from one of the Mawangdui Tombs. Now housed at the Hunan Provincial Museum in China

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A 2nd century BCE bamboo chest from the Western Han Dynasty, unearthed from one of the Mawangdui Tombs. Now housed at the Hunan Provincial Museum in China

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The cliff tombs of the Lu Kings from the Western Han Dynasty , located in Shandong Province, China

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The cliff tombs of the Lu Kings from the Western Han Dynasty , located in Shandong Province, China

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A jade bear-shaped weight, unearthed from one of the Tombs of the Chu Kings at Jiangsu Province. Western Han Dynasty , now housed at the Xuzhou Museum in China

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A jade bear-shaped weight, unearthed from one of the Tombs of the Chu Kings at Jiangsu Province. Western Han Dynasty , now housed at the Xuzhou Museum in China

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A bronze shovel with a penis shaped handle, unearthed from Tomb No. 113 at the Yangfutou cemetery in Kunming. Dian Kingdom , now housed at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in China

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A bronze shovel with a penis shaped handle, unearthed from Tomb No. 113 at the Yangfutou cemetery in Kunming. Dian Kingdom , now housed at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in China

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A bronze shovel with a penis shaped handle, unearthed from Tomb No. 113 at the Yangfutou cemetery in Kunming. Dian Kingdom , now housed at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in China

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A bronze shovel with a penis shaped handle, unearthed from Tomb No. 113 at the Yangfutou cemetery in Kunming. Dian Kingdom , now housed at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in China

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This wooden wine cup, lacquered black on the outside and red within, is decorated with whorled motifs, drifting clouds and sharply rendered diamond patterns. Dating to the 160s BCE, it was unearthed in 1972 from the Mawangdui Han tombs in Hunan, China

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This wooden wine cup, lacquered black on the outside and red within, is decorated with whorled motifs, drifting clouds and sharply rendered diamond patterns. Dating to the 160s BCE, it was unearthed in 1972 from the Mawangdui Han tombs in Hunan, China

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A large bronze drum from Guangxi province in China, now housed at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Tang dynasty or earlier

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A large bronze drum from Guangxi province in China, now housed at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Tang dynasty or earlier

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A gold horse harness with jade decoration from the Liao Dynasty , unearthed from the joint tomb of princess Chen and her consort in Inner Mongolia. Now housed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, China

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A gold horse harness with jade decoration from the Liao Dynasty , unearthed from the joint tomb of princess Chen and her consort in Inner Mongolia. Now housed at the Capital Museum in Beijing, China

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Lacquered box, board, dice, and pieces for the game of Liubo. China, Han dynasty, 2nd century BC

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Lacquered box, board, dice, and pieces for the game of Liubo. China, Han dynasty, 2nd century BC

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Head of a man, most likely of non-Han Chinese ethnicity. China, Tang dynasty . Earthenware . Excavated at Chaoyang, Liaoning province, in 2003. Loaned to the China Institute from Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

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Head of a man, most likely of non-Han Chinese ethnicity. China, Tang dynasty . Earthenware . Excavated at Chaoyang, Liaoning province, in 2003. Loaned to the China Institute from Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

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A rabbit sculpture made of talc, unearthed in 1956 from the tomb M45 in Hansenzhai, east of Xi'an, China. Tang Dynasty , now housed at the Shaanxi History Museum

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A rabbit sculpture made of talc, unearthed in 1956 from the tomb M45 in Hansenzhai, east of Xi'an, China. Tang Dynasty , now housed at the Shaanxi History Museum

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Carved ivory cup inlaid with turquoise, from the Tomb of Fu Hao, one of the wives of King Wu Ding. Near Anyang, Henan Province China

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Carved ivory cup inlaid with turquoise, from the Tomb of Fu Hao, one of the wives of King Wu Ding. Near Anyang, Henan Province China

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A large wooden puppet unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty wooden coffin in Daishu, China. 206 BCE-9 CE, now housed at the Qingdao Museum

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A large wooden puppet unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty wooden coffin in Daishu, China. 206 BCE-9 CE, now housed at the Qingdao Museum

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An inlaid turquoise bone found in Yin, the last capital of the Shang Dynasty in China. The oracle bone inscription describes a Shang king's hunting expedition. It is said hat the king went hunting at the foot of Mount Maishan, and killed a wild bull

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An inlaid turquoise bone found in Yin, the last capital of the Shang Dynasty in China. The oracle bone inscription describes a Shang king's hunting expedition. It is said hat the king went hunting at the foot of Mount Maishan, and killed a wild bull

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A 1600-year-old celadon ox-shaped lamp unearthed from an Eastern Jin Dynasty cemetery in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Now housed at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China

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A 1600-year-old celadon ox-shaped lamp unearthed from an Eastern Jin Dynasty cemetery in Wenzhou, Zhejiang. Now housed at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China

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A bronze and turquoise ornament with frog and snake design. 5th-3rd BCE, unearthed from Sanguandianzi in Lingyuan, China. Now housed at the Liaoning Provincial Museum

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A bronze and turquoise ornament with frog and snake design. 5th-3rd BCE, unearthed from Sanguandianzi in Lingyuan, China. Now housed at the Liaoning Provincial Museum

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A bronze vessel with animal-face patterns, Shang dynasty , found in Hunan Province in China

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A bronze vessel with animal-face patterns, Shang dynasty , found in Hunan Province in China

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Malachite carving of a luohan sitting under a tree with his assistant, with an incribed poem by the Jiaqing Emperor. China, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century

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Malachite carving of a luohan sitting under a tree with his assistant, with an incribed poem by the Jiaqing Emperor. China, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th century

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Roman marble head of an old woman wearing a kerchief. This is Roman copy of a Hellenistic original from the 3rd - 2nd century BCE.

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Roman marble head of an old woman wearing a kerchief. This is Roman copy of a Hellenistic original from the 3rd - 2nd century BCE.

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