Room 44: China
The T. T. Tsui Gallery houses one of the most comprehensive and important collections of Chinese art dating from 30…
Read article
Room 47e: Chinese Sculpture
Buddhism travelled from India into China during the 1st century AD. It became part of Chinese life and culture alon…
Read article
Room 47f: Chinese Export Art
All the items on display in this room were made in China and brought to the West by merchants who went there to buy…
Read article
Chairs by designer Shao Fan
Artist Shao Fan is sculptor and painter, and freely experiments with various media. To the contemporary Chinese des…
Read article
Space Age objects from the East Asian collection
The V&A's East Asian Collection has received a newspaper printed on silk and a First Day Cover commemorating a land…
Read article
Fashion in Motion: Ma Ke Wuyong
The Ma Ke Wuyong Fashion in Motion live catwalk event took place on May 16 2008. Ma Ke is one of the most prolific …
Read article
Chinese Buddhist cave temple sculpture
This Buddha's head, which dates to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577 AD) is currently on display in Gallery 47e alon…
Read article
Manchu horse-hoof shoes: Footwear and cultural identity
The Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the last empire in Chinese history, was ruled by the Manchus, a nomadic group that ca…
Read article
A souvenir from Guangzhou
Very few export paintings of this type remain in the collections in Guangzhou; consequently they are regarded with …
Read article
V&A in China
Contacts between V&A and Chinese museum professionals since 2004 have ranged from photography and digitisation to c…
Read article
Asian Department
The collections of the Asian Department cover a period of more than 5000 years, from 3,500 BC to the present day, and a huge region that encompasses China, Korea and Japan; South-East Asia, from Burma to Indonesia; Pakistan, India and the other countries of South Asia; Central Asia, from Tibet to the Caspian Sea; and the Middle East.
Traditional dress from East Asia
Traditional clothing from the East Asian countries of Japan, China and Korea tends to conceal the form of the body. With some exceptions, it is the surface decoration of dress from Japan and China, and the striking plain colour combinations of Korean clothes that hold our attention.
Sir Aurel Stein (1862-1943)
The Budapest-born Stein studied Sanskrit, Old Persian, Indology and philology at the universities of Vienna, Leipzig and Tübingen, and map-making as part of his military service in Budapest, before setting out for a career in India. His formal positions from 1888 onwards were as registrar of Punjab University and principal of the Oriental College, Lahore and principal of the Calcutta Madrasah. But his real passion was the exploration of Central Asia, China, India and the Middle East.
The Mahasiddha Virupa
This figure represents the Mahasiddha, or great yogic adept Virupa, who lived during the 9th century in north India. Such figures lived alone or with a consort and became renowned for their unconventional lifestyles.
Buddhist pilgrimage sites: The Silk Routes
Bordered by mountain ranges, a network of trade routes (that later became known as 'Silk Routes') encircled the Taklamakan Desert in Chinese Central Asia. A northern route linked settlements such as Turfan and Kucha and then continued westwards through Merv to Palmyra and finally Antioch and Tyre on the Mediterranean coast.
Become a V&A Member
V&A Members enjoy a wealth of benefits, including free entry to exhibitions, previews, exciting events and the V&A Members’ Room. In addition, you will be supporting the vital work of the V&A.
Buy or Renew Membership OnlineShop online
Transparent China (Custom print)
Transparent China Tea and Breakfast Services, by The Fenton Pottery Co. (A3 Print, Satin Finish)
Buy nowEvent - Arts of Early China: Neolithic to the Song Dynasty
Mon 24 September 2012 10:30
SHORT COURSE: Discover over 4,000 years of arts in early China.
Book online
