Potteries in tomb show Chang'an was an international metropolis in Tang Dynasty | China Documentary

I'm embarking on an epic adventure. From spectacular natural landscapes to the busiest cities in the world. China, the place to explore the treasures of an ancient civilization. I find this really very special indeed. A culture that has lasted for thousands of years and which continues to shape this great nation. I've really been looking forward to seeing this. And to truly understand the secrets of a country's soul, I think you need to immerse yourself in its art. Time for the journey to begin. Chang'an, one of the ancient capitals of China, nowadays known as Xi'an. 1,500 years ago, it was one of the most internationalized cities in the world. A place of bustling trade and new ideas. For that reason, Xi'an is the place to come if you want to get to know more about China's cultural golden age, the Tang Dynasty. And the varied art treasures it has bequeathed to future generations, thanks to its special place on the Silk Road. This leg of the journey will start from Mount Hua in northwestern China. In the Tang Dynasty, brave merchants tramped over mountains and dales to reach Chang'an, the capital of the empire. And then started their exploration along the Silk Road, the great trading route leading to India, Persia and Europe. All these people, they came back with different knowledge about the West. Huang Haoman is a writer and explorer. He explains the close connection between these people and the Tang Dynasty. 40 years ago, he made it to the top of Mount Hua for the first time. So Alistair, since we have the chance to meet up here, I'll show you something that I brought up which is very intimate to me. Great, okay. So this is my notebook from 1979. That's so sweet. At the time, I even wrote two poems. I know that poetry was a really big thing in the Tang. How important was the spirit of exploration? If you look at the Tang Dynasty, if you look at along the Silk Road, how prosperous it was, you know, for trade mission and stuff like that. For people to have that kind of dedication to do it, at the depth of their belief. If you want to know more about that prosperous age, Xi'an. While the West was mired in the Middle Ages, China during the Tang Dynasty, which lasted from the early 7th century to the start of the 10th, was this really dynamic, cosmopolitan, sophisticated place, fostering a cultural golden age that's still today considered a peak of Chinese civilization. The exchange of ideas along the Silk Road exercised a massive influence on the art of the Tang Dynasty. Many treasures from that era are now collected in Shanxi History Museum in the center of Xi'an. I've really been looking forward to seeing this artwork because it's such an energetic piece and I think such a brilliant example of the dynamism, the vigour of ceramic figurines that were buried in Tang tombs. And what we see is obviously a camel, one of these two-humped Bactrian camels, the very reliable so-called ships of the desert that plied the Silk Roads. But in this case, on those humps, balanced quite precariously on this rug, you have seven musicians in Chinese dress and a woman standing in the centre, a performer, probably a singer. Have a look at the colors of the sculpture. There's a particular technique that's associated with Tang Dynasty ceramics. It's called sancai, which means tricolour. It's about the glazing. And traditionally, the three colours would be, well, you can see them here. There's a green, there's an ivory colour, this amber-brown. In this case, there's actually a fourth as well, the blue, which runs along the tassels of the rug and also some of those diamonds in the pattern of the rug itself. The musicians are playing musical instruments from Western China. The rug is from Central Asia. So you see in this one piece, which would have been buried with someone elite, a taste in the Tang era for the exotic, for the foreign. Spice. Spice, yep. Of course. Oh, that's a lot of spice. All right, that's good. Ah, thank you. One squid lollipop. First, I've got to pay. In fact, the most exciting about this is I'm going to pay using my phone. There we go. Bing, bing, bing. Tick. Perfect, thank you. Mmm. Chang'an was also this amicable, tolerant place. And many different faiths. There were Buddhists and Muslims and Christians, even Zoroastrians, all rubbing shoulders together. And amidst the hustle and bustle of the city's streets, this perpetually shifting, hurly-burly spectacle of it all, inevitably new influences and ideas transformed Chinese art. Many art treasures from that era have been unearthed from tombs of Tang nobles. These exciting and valuable tomb murals were kept in a temperature-controlled exhibition hall. He Daxin, Vice Director of the Cultural Relics Protection Division of the Shanxi History Museum, is one of the people responsible for taking care of these wonderful murals. Well, I mean, the first thing that hits you is the scale of these murals. You can see these flags fluttering in the wind, all sorts of... Presumably, these are courtiers. These are the emperor's bodyguards, perhaps. HE SPEAKS CHINESE I find this such a fascinating scene, because you've got six different figures, but there are so many clues about their identity and importance according to how they're dressed. So, you have this group of three to the left, and they've got these long, yellow flowing gowns, these high hats. They're clearly officials, and we know that they're officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reporting to the emperor. They're all huddled together. It suggests collegiality, togetherness, the strength of the common Tang enterprise. Then, in the other half, on the right side, you have three further figures, more spaced out, each of whom feels quite individual. And it's clear that they're not Chinese. The way that they're dressed provides all sorts of clues about their background. Take this fellow here. There's some debate about where he comes from, but from the white robes and that distinctive hat with these twin feathers on either side, he may come from Japan, or perhaps one of the countries on the Korean peninsula. In the background, you have a person who, to me, looks slightly like a caricature. There's an element of the grotesque, of thinking about foreigners and outsiders. And some people have suggested that perhaps he represents someone from as far away as Western Asia, perhaps even the Eastern Roman Empire. So, if ever further evidence were required of the Tang interest in the outside foreign world, I think this mural encapsulates it and provides it perfectly. In today's Xi'an, evening is the best time to appreciate the Chinese people's love for the Tang dynasty. At that time, the light in the Tang paradise illuminates the sky. Perhaps there are a few parallels to be drawn between the two ages, because in recent decades, China's economy has been growing at this quite extraordinary rate, often in double digits. And the Tang era too was this great epoch of prosperity. You know, once the Tang elite in Chang'an, they imported a new breed of fast, muscular horse, the fancy sports car of their day, if you like. Whereas now, you have these wealthy Chinese in Xi'an driving luxury SUVs. Textiles remain one of China's biggest exports. Today, it's cotton. Then it was silk. In so many ways, the Tang dynasty really resonates with modern China, and I completely see why. But to really understand this Tang dynasty golden age, it's important to take a look at some of the religious influences that came down the Silk Road. These are especially apparent in the murals and other treasures that are being brought back to life by an expert restoration team. In the Tang dynasty, the Silk Road brought trade between the East and the West to an unprecedented level, in turn, boosting the exchange of new ideas. Thanks a lot. Cheers. Okay. The magnificent giant wild goose pagoda is one of the only well-preserved Tang buildings in Xi'an. It was built to preserve the Buddhist works. Xuanzang, a Tang monk, brought back from India along the Silk Road. Xuanzang explored the origin of Buddhism along the way. Back then, Buddhism was still a relatively recent arrival in China. Professor Wang Xin is an expert on what the brave Xuanzang introduced into China as a result of his experiences. So the thing that I need to understand, right, Ming dynasty, there's a famous work of literature, Journey to the West. Ah, yes. That's all about this monk. Yes. So he went there seeking clarity, seeking the definitive scriptures that he could bring back. Yes. How long did his journey take? Just including his staying in India, about 16 or 17 years. And do we know much about his experiences there? Yes, because Xuanzang, when he came back, Taizong, the emperor, really asked him to tell him something about the countries and the kingdoms along the Silk Road. He not only introduced the knowledge about the Buddhism, but, of course, the local peoples, their customers, their language, and, of course, the monasteries, right, and the different religions, and even the climate, and even their food, and even their clothing. Interestingly, although the posture of this gilt Maitreya sculpture is reminiscent of that found in Indian depictions, scholars point out that the way Maitreya is dressed displays unmistakable Chinese features. This sculpture dates back to the 6th century. Several centuries later, artists created another popular image of Maitreya with even more obvious Chinese features. It's a type that people refer to as the laughing Buddha, the jolly Buddha, but he's a really great example of the way that China and Chinese artists imported the idea of Buddhism from India and then remoulded the figure in their own image. The museum has its own mural restoration team. Getting involved in their work is a great way to get to know more about these amazing works of art. It's all very high-tech. Quite space-age, actually. It looks like I have to go through an airlock before I get into the studio where the restoration takes place. Bit of a shock. It's like an... It's an air jacuzzi, is what this is. Very pleasant. Not a speck of dust. Right, hello. So this is the patient for today. What are we looking at here? Look at all these people that come to watch you as you work. Yes, exactly. What are these blocks of ice? What little jelly that seems to be being placed? What's happening? That's so delicate. So that's just the top layer of dirt that's coming off. In the process of restoration, do you learn anything new about the original techniques used by these artists to create the murals? Were there any pigments used that came from far away? Lapis lazuli. That came from very far away. Expensive. Afghanistan. In the 10th century, the Tang Dynasty started to decline. China entered the turbulent period of five dynasties and ten kingdoms. But now, 1,000 years later, the art and spirit of the Tang Dynasty is still cherished in China. People in China today, they really do seem to feel this genuine connection with the Tang Dynasty, the country's golden age, when prosperity and self-confidence, an expansive entrepreneurial spirit, and openness to the outside world, these were all the order of the day. In fact, the Tang Empire was so famous that over time, Chinese communities in foreign cities became known as the streets of the Tang people, which Westerners translate as Chinatown.