Xi’an Luxuries

"XI’AN LUXURIES"
Gold, Silver and Bronze Treasures from China’s Tang dynasty.
The city of Xi’an was where the Silk Route started and it was during China’s Tang dynasty (618-907 AD.), especially, that a plethora of luxurious goods were created there and exported. The trade in silk, spices, and luxury items of every imaginable type attracted master craftsmen to Xi’an where they created specialty products, the height of which were gold, silver, bronze and gilded treasures, as well as woven silk brocades, rare sancai-glazed ceramics and exotic jewelry, jades and fragrances. Add to these the culinary arts and it is clear that a uniquely luxurious culture emerged out of Xi’an, which catered both to the wealth-loving living and to their dead. Luxurious grave-goods were also produced or commissioned in Xi’an, for use in the afterlife of the wealthy. Goods from Xi’an traveled the Silk Route, to India, Persia and the Middle East, reaching beyond to all parts of far-away Europe, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia and other areas of southeast Asia. One need only look closely at the rare and precious treasures from Xi’an to comprehend the luxurious and extravagant lifestyle they were created to celebrate.