What Were The Chinese Treasures

The Greatest Treasures of Ancient China and the Battle to Keep Them Safe

What makes an object worth protecting across centuries of upheaval? Vann Chow explores ancient Chinese treasures through the people who made, collected, concealed and defended them.

From the manuscripts of Dunhuang to imperial burial chambers, this illustrated history follows the struggle to preserve objects against theft, conflict and destruction. Jade burial suits, monumental bronzes, terracotta soldiers and porcelain reveal how craftsmanship became entangled with authority, belief and cultural memory.

The story also follows collections displaced by war and the discoveries that brought explorers and Chinese scholars into conflict over their future. These are histories of survival as much as histories of art.

Book eight in the Chinese Thinking series offers an accessible journey for readers interested in archaeology, Chinese culture, art history and the extraordinary lives of objects.