Coupled with close looking at objects in the galleries, learn how the ancient Chinese recognized the political and cultural value of rare natural resources. Through ongoing innovation and technological skill, they built a resilient and influential civilization. The creation of bronzes, ceramics, and paintings relied on materials like copper, tin, jade, cobalt, and gold—many obtained via the Silk Roads. Learn how these networks enabled the exchange of goods and ideas, shaping lasting traditions in social organization and thought, including Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism. Imperial competition and foreign rivalries further fueled the pursuit of prestige, conquest, ritual, and daily life.

Martha Wright, adjunct instructor