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Phoenix Coronet of Empress Xiaoduan from China's Ming Dynasty, a national treasure currently housed in the National Museum of China in Beijing. The crown dates to the Wanli Era of the Ming Dynasty.

ARTIFACT

Phoenix Coronet of Empress Xiaoduan from China's Ming Dynasty, a national treasure currently housed in the National Museum of China in Beijing. The crown dates to the Wanli Era of the Ming Dynasty.

ARTIFACT / Photography

A pagoda scroll comprised of characters from the Lotus Sutra, written by Li Zhen in 1617 CE. Ming dynasty, from China, now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

ARTIFACT

A pagoda scroll comprised of characters from the Lotus Sutra, written by Li Zhen in 1617 CE. Ming dynasty, from China, now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

ARTIFACT / Photography

A jade cat, Song to Ming Dynasty , now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

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A jade cat, Song to Ming Dynasty , now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

ARTIFACT / Photography

A copper-based painted enamel square plate from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

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A copper-based painted enamel square plate from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

ARTIFACT / Photography

A limestone sculpture of the Cosmic Buddha Vairochana draped in robes portraying the Realms of Existence. Northern Qi dynasty, 550–577 CE, from China, now housed at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

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A limestone sculpture of the Cosmic Buddha Vairochana draped in robes portraying the Realms of Existence. Northern Qi dynasty, 550–577 CE, from China, now housed at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

ARTIFACT / Photography

A conical bowl with interior of fish swimming amid waves. Yaozhou ware, Northern Song Dynasty , now housed at the National Museum of China

ARTIFACT

A conical bowl with interior of fish swimming amid waves. Yaozhou ware, Northern Song Dynasty , now housed at the National Museum of China

ARTIFACT / Photography

A phoenix-shaped bronze architectural component from the Han Dynasty , Shanxi Bronze Museum, China

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A phoenix-shaped bronze architectural component from the Han Dynasty , Shanxi Bronze Museum, China

ARTIFACT / Photography

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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A gold ewer decorated with a dragon and lion playing with a ball, Ming dynasty, 1601 CE, now housed at the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xian, China

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A gold ewer decorated with a dragon and lion playing with a ball, Ming dynasty, 1601 CE, now housed at the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xian, China

ARTIFACT / Photography

Qing Dynasty Portrait of Empress Xiaoshengxian, or Chongqing. Copied after the Imperial Painter's example, now in the Beijing Palace Museum, China. Smaller in size, yet near virtually identical, though her face seems to look a bit younger here

ARTIFACT

Qing Dynasty Portrait of Empress Xiaoshengxian, or Chongqing. Copied after the Imperial Painter's example, now in the Beijing Palace Museum, China. Smaller in size, yet near virtually identical, though her face seems to look a bit younger here

ARTIFACT / Photography

The skull of a woman wearing a golden crown, found in an early 10th century CE wooden red coffin in Inner Mongolia, China. Liao dynasty, now housed at the Inner Mongolia Museum

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The skull of a woman wearing a golden crown, found in an early 10th century CE wooden red coffin in Inner Mongolia, China. Liao dynasty, now housed at the Inner Mongolia Museum

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Statue of Empress Atossa , who was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, wife of Darius the Great, and mother of Xerxes the Great, making her connected to the entire Achaemenid dynasty. The lapis lazuli statue was discovered in Persepolis, and is housed at National Museum of Iran.

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Statue of Empress Atossa , who was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, wife of Darius the Great, and mother of Xerxes the Great, making her connected to the entire Achaemenid dynasty. The lapis lazuli statue was discovered in Persepolis, and is housed at National Museum of Iran.

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A porcelain figure of a dog. China, Tang Dynasty, currently in Kaifang City Museum

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A porcelain figure of a dog. China, Tang Dynasty, currently in Kaifang City Museum

ARTIFACT / Photography

The Colorful Phoenix Mingqi is a Luoxia-style guqin collected by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China. According to the inscription on the belly of the guqin, the maker was Lei Wei, a guqin maker from the Tang Dynasty

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The Colorful Phoenix Mingqi is a Luoxia-style guqin collected by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China. According to the inscription on the belly of the guqin, the maker was Lei Wei, a guqin maker from the Tang Dynasty

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A boat carved from an olive pit, approximately 3.4 centimeters long and 1.4 cm wide, is dated to 1737. It is currently housed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei .

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A boat carved from an olive pit, approximately 3.4 centimeters long and 1.4 cm wide, is dated to 1737. It is currently housed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei .

ARTIFACT / Photography

Stoneware figurines transcribing and proofreading, Xianying ware, Western Jin dynasty . Unearthed from Jinpenling in China, and now housed at the Hunan Museum

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Stoneware figurines transcribing and proofreading, Xianying ware, Western Jin dynasty . Unearthed from Jinpenling in China, and now housed at the Hunan Museum

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Furniture made during the Liao Dynasty, around 907-1125 CE, excavated from the underground palace in Tian Kai Ta, in Fangshan District of Beijing. Now housed at the Capital Museum in China

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Furniture made during the Liao Dynasty, around 907-1125 CE, excavated from the underground palace in Tian Kai Ta, in Fangshan District of Beijing. Now housed at the Capital Museum in China

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"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

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"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

ARTIFACT / Photography

ARTIFACT

ARTIFACT / Photography

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

ARTIFACT

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

ARTIFACT / Photography

Phoenix Coronet of Empress Xiaoduan from China's Ming Dynasty, a national treasure currently housed in the National Museum of China in Beijing. The crown dates to the Wanli Era of the Ming Dynasty.

Phoenix Coronet of Empress Xiaoduan from China's Ming Dynasty, a national treasure currently housed in the National Museum of China in Beijing. The crown dates to the Wanli Era of the Ming Dynasty.

A pagoda scroll comprised of characters from the Lotus Sutra, written by Li Zhen in 1617 CE. Ming dynasty, from China, now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

A pagoda scroll comprised of characters from the Lotus Sutra, written by Li Zhen in 1617 CE. Ming dynasty, from China, now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

A jade cat, Song to Ming Dynasty , now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

A jade cat, Song to Ming Dynasty , now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

A copper-based painted enamel square plate from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

A copper-based painted enamel square plate from the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Now housed at the National Palace Museum in Taiwan

A limestone sculpture of the Cosmic Buddha Vairochana draped in robes portraying the Realms of Existence. Northern Qi dynasty, 550–577 CE, from China, now housed at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

A limestone sculpture of the Cosmic Buddha Vairochana draped in robes portraying the Realms of Existence. Northern Qi dynasty, 550–577 CE, from China, now housed at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

A conical bowl with interior of fish swimming amid waves. Yaozhou ware, Northern Song Dynasty , now housed at the National Museum of China

A conical bowl with interior of fish swimming amid waves. Yaozhou ware, Northern Song Dynasty , now housed at the National Museum of China

A phoenix-shaped bronze architectural component from the Han Dynasty , Shanxi Bronze Museum, China

A phoenix-shaped bronze architectural component from the Han Dynasty , Shanxi Bronze Museum, China

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

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

A gold ewer decorated with a dragon and lion playing with a ball, Ming dynasty, 1601 CE, now housed at the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xian, China

A gold ewer decorated with a dragon and lion playing with a ball, Ming dynasty, 1601 CE, now housed at the Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts in Xian, China

Qing Dynasty Portrait of Empress Xiaoshengxian, or Chongqing. Copied after the Imperial Painter's example, now in the Beijing Palace Museum, China. Smaller in size, yet near virtually identical, though her face seems to look a bit younger here

Qing Dynasty Portrait of Empress Xiaoshengxian, or Chongqing. Copied after the Imperial Painter's example, now in the Beijing Palace Museum, China. Smaller in size, yet near virtually identical, though her face seems to look a bit younger here

The skull of a woman wearing a golden crown, found in an early 10th century CE wooden red coffin in Inner Mongolia, China. Liao dynasty, now housed at the Inner Mongolia Museum

The skull of a woman wearing a golden crown, found in an early 10th century CE wooden red coffin in Inner Mongolia, China. Liao dynasty, now housed at the Inner Mongolia Museum

Statue of Empress Atossa , who was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, wife of Darius the Great, and mother of Xerxes the Great, making her connected to the entire Achaemenid dynasty. The lapis lazuli statue was discovered in Persepolis, and is housed at National Museum of Iran.

Statue of Empress Atossa , who was the daughter of Cyrus the Great, wife of Darius the Great, and mother of Xerxes the Great, making her connected to the entire Achaemenid dynasty. The lapis lazuli statue was discovered in Persepolis, and is housed at National Museum of Iran.

A porcelain figure of a dog. China, Tang Dynasty, currently in Kaifang City Museum

A porcelain figure of a dog. China, Tang Dynasty, currently in Kaifang City Museum

The Colorful Phoenix Mingqi is a Luoxia-style guqin collected by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China. According to the inscription on the belly of the guqin, the maker was Lei Wei, a guqin maker from the Tang Dynasty

The Colorful Phoenix Mingqi is a Luoxia-style guqin collected by the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in China. According to the inscription on the belly of the guqin, the maker was Lei Wei, a guqin maker from the Tang Dynasty

A boat carved from an olive pit, approximately 3.4 centimeters long and 1.4 cm wide, is dated to 1737. It is currently housed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei .

A boat carved from an olive pit, approximately 3.4 centimeters long and 1.4 cm wide, is dated to 1737. It is currently housed at the National Palace Museum in Taipei .

Stoneware figurines transcribing and proofreading, Xianying ware, Western Jin dynasty . Unearthed from Jinpenling in China, and now housed at the Hunan Museum

Stoneware figurines transcribing and proofreading, Xianying ware, Western Jin dynasty . Unearthed from Jinpenling in China, and now housed at the Hunan Museum

Furniture made during the Liao Dynasty, around 907-1125 CE, excavated from the underground palace in Tian Kai Ta, in Fangshan District of Beijing. Now housed at the Capital Museum in China

Furniture made during the Liao Dynasty, around 907-1125 CE, excavated from the underground palace in Tian Kai Ta, in Fangshan District of Beijing. Now housed at the Capital Museum in China

"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

"La Concubine" by Jean Denis Attiret. Believed to depict Step Empress Nara , who was almost entirely erased from history by the Qianlong Emperor after cutting her hair. Oil on paper. China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Reign, 1750. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Dole, France

Gold phoenix coronet inlaid with Manchurian pearls, Qing Dynasty . ©The National Palace Museum Collection.

Gold phoenix coronet inlaid with Manchurian pearls, Qing Dynasty . ©The National Palace Museum Collection.

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

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