Showcasing a dynamic era

French exhibition highlights the flourishing of art and spectacular craftsmanship of the Tang Dynasty 'golden age', Deng Zhangyu reports.

With the rhythmic beat of drums echoing through the air, the city gates slowly open. The streets, flanked by shops, buzz with activity as vendors call out their wares. Merchants, craftsmen, musicians, artists and scholars from around the world gather here to exchange ideas and goods.

Welcome to the ancient capital of Chang'an, a cosmopolitan hub from a millennium ago, where the splendor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) has been vividly brought to life.

Tang China — A Cosmopolitan Dynasty (7th-10th Century), at the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in Paris offers visitors a rare and captivating glimpse into the Tang Dynasty, often heralded as a "golden age" in China's history. This era, marked by a flourishing of art, poetry and craftsmanship, also showcased a dynamic exchange with the wider world through the ancient Silk Road.

Huei-Chung Tsao, co-curator of the show from the Guimet museum, says that the exhibition meets the highest standards and can be considered a once-in-a-decade event.

It features 207 rare cultural relics from 32 museums and cultural institutions across China.

Many of these pieces are being presented outside of China for the first time, and some are the must-see treasures from the lending museums' collections. It also includes antiques uncovered from recent archaeological excavations.