Video
Activity
Create Your Own Tomb Guardian
Do you want to make your own tomb guardian? They will need to be strong and fierce to keep unwanted spirits out of your tomb and keep your tomb objects safe.
Lesson
Mapping the Silk Road
Students analyze objects from South Asia, West Asia, and China to connect to the travel experiences of ancient merchants and traders, develop an understanding of the breadth of the land and sea trade, and explore how art and ideas travel and change over time and place.
Background Information
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) Education and Tradition
Background Information
Tibetan Buddhism in China and Mongolia
Video
Thousand-Character Classic
Calligrapher Cai Xingyi writes an excerpt from the Thousand-Character Classic in semicursive script. The Thousand-Character Classic in clerical script, written by calligrapher Wen Peng (1498–1573) will be on view at the Asian Art Museum during the exhibition, Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy (October 5, 2012–January 13, 2013).
Activity
The Verbiest Map, 1674 (interactive)
Explore this interactive map.
Lesson
The Spread of Buddhism Across Asia
Trace the spread of Buddhism through close looking at Buddhist objects from different regions. Explore how artifacts reveal distinct local traditions as well as common ideas and motifs.
Video
The Shanghai Dress
The qipao is a stylish, sophisticated form-fitting dress that emerged in 1920s Shanghai. Meet Jane Zhu: she’s studied qipao patternmaking and construction from master tailors. Celebrated in Shanghai and New York for her contemporary, made-to-order luxury qipao, Zhu’s been featured in Vogue, Elle China, Harper’s Bazaar China, Newsweek, and more. She will share her qipao designs and give a talk on the history and craftsmanship of these iconic, versatile dresses.