The different sections of the Heavenly Horse exhibition showcase a range of artefacts that bring attention to the role of horses in Chinese history and culture.
Horses depicted on unearthed artefacts
Works of art depicting horses started to appear by the late Shang dynasty. Many artefacts across different periods represent depictions of equine breeds of that era. In the Han dynasty, artefacts produced were used as standards against which they would select their horses. During the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties, appearances of horses could be seen in the pottery of figurines discovered in tombs, and sancai horses during the Sui and Tang dynasties showed the height of Tang China's power. Bronze, jade and sancai-glazed horses unearthed in different dynasties illustrate how horses appeared in different periods.
From chariots of war to the power of cavalry
The first horse-drawn chariots in China appeared during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Used in warfare, hunting, sacrifices and other rituals, the chariots were symbols of state power, while cavalry assumed the most important role in the Han dynasty during the battles. Chariots, fittings, painted pottery and terracotta figurines of cavalrymen and horses are shown here.
The evolution of horse tack
Horse tack during the Shang dynasty was largely decorative, while during the Western Jin dynasty it underwent a revolutionary development in which the enhancement provided horseback riders more stable support and better co-ordination with their horses. Rare ancient saddlery is on display, the highlight being the wooden stirrups encased in bronze from the Northern Yan state (407-436 AD) which were unearthed from the tomb of Feng Sufu in Beipiao County, Liaoning province in 1965. This is the only early stirrup in China that can be dated (the tomb in which it was found is known to have been built in 415 AD). No stirrups from the Han period have ever been discovered, and only evidence of the triangular single stirrup, used solely for mounting, has been unearthed from the Western Jin dynasty. This stirrup retains the common triangular shape. Significant advances to cavalry units had been made by the Sixteen Kingdoms period: stirrups allowed cavalrymen not only to support their feet and control their mounts, but also to sit up straight in the saddle.