CURRENT EXHIBITION

Gold from Dragon City
Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337–436

September 5, 2024 - January 5, 2025
100 Washington Street, 2nd Floor

Nearly 70 years of archeological excavations in the capital of Three Yan states — Dragon City (longcheng), today’s Chaoyang in Liaoning province — have revealed extraordinary treasures, such as the dangling, dazzling golden headdress called buyao. The landmark exhibition “Gold from Dragon City: Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337–436” presents these precious artworks and cultural objects for the first time in the United States. The exhibition illustrates and revives the faded history of ethnic integration and cultural exchange along the Steppe-Silk Road that transformed northern China more than 1,600 years ago. Featured objects include sculptures, bronze mirrors, inkstones, imperial seals, and ceramic vessels, with highlights of gold ornaments and equestrian objects.

Organized by China Institute Gallery and Liaoning Provincial Museum. Directed and executed by Willow Weilan Hai, Senior Vice President at China Institute, Director and Chief Curator of China Institute Gallery; Curated by Dr. Liu Ning, Deputy Director of Liaoning Provincial Museum, with assistance from Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and Chaoyang County Museum.

Buddha statuette. Northern Wei (386–534). Red pottery; H. 22 cm. Excavated in 2003 from Chaoyang. Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Hat ornament. Sixteen Kingdoms, Former Yan (337–70). Gold; Base: H. 5 cm, W. 4.6–4.8 cm; Branches, W. 13.7 cm, L. 17.8 cm with remaining 35 leafs. Excavated in 1989 from tomb No. 2 of Tiancaogou, Xiyingzixiang, Chaoyang. Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Cup. Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Yan (407–36). Glass; H. 7.7 cm, Diam. (mouth) 9.4 cm. Excavated in 1965 from the tomb of Feng Sufu (d. 415), Xiguanyingzi, Beipiao. Liaoning Provincial Museum

EXHIBITION VIDEO

Dragon City and the Dragon

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE

Gold from Dragon City:
Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337-436

龙城之金:
辽宁三燕文物选萃 337-436

Edited by Willow Weilan Hai
With contributions by Annette L. Juliano, Tian Likun, and Liu Ning

EXHIBITION-RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS

This lecture offers a peek into the unique perspective of the distinguished experts who excavated, studied, or organized the exhibition “Gold from Dragon City,” currently on view at China Institute Gallery. You are invited to hear the inside stories of how archaeologists initiated the discovery of the mysterious Murong Xianbei nomad and selected featured objects in this exhibition while they were exploring the geographic choice of Dragon City, the capital of three Yan state.

Hosted by Willow Weilan Hai, Senior Vice President of China Institute in America, Director and Chief Curator of China Institute Gallery; in conversation with leading guest curator Dr. Liu Ning, Deputy Director of Liaoning Provincial Museum, and Bai Baoyu, Director of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relic and Archaeology Institute.

For more information, please contact Tracy Jiao at tjiao@chinainstitute.org.

This full-day international symposium, in conjunction with the exhibition “Gold from Dragon City: Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337-436,” provides an immersive environment to investigate Three Yan artifacts and discover the life of the once-dominated ancient nomad tribe Murong Xianbei, alongside prominent scholars in the field. Through various artifacts, from the shining golden headdress buyao, a signature craft adored by Murong Xianbei, to horse armory such as stirrup, a major equipment breakthrough that boosted cavalry development, the program reflects on the importance of ethnic integration and cultural exchanges that could propel civilization.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Annette Juliano – Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University
Dr. Nancy Steinhardt – Professor of East Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Tian Likun – Former Director of Liaoning Provincial Museum; Former Director of the Chaoyang Museum
Dr. Jin Xu – Jane and Leopold Swergold Associate Professor of Chinese Art History, Columbia University
Dr. Petya Andreeva – Assistant Professor of Asian Art, Vassar College
Dr. Judith Lerner – Independent Art Historian
Boxi Liu – Doctoral candidate, Bard Graduate Center
Hosted by Willow Weilan Hai – Senior Vice President of China Institute in America, Director, and Chief Curator of China Institute Gallery

For more information, please contact Tracy Jiao at tjiao@chinainstitute.org.

This lecture offers a peek into the unique perspective of the distinguished experts who excavated, studied, or organized the exhibition “Gold from Dragon City,” currently on view at China Institute Gallery. You are invited to hear the inside stories of how archaeologists initiated the discovery of the mysterious Murong Xianbei nomad and selected featured objects in this exhibition while they were exploring the geographic choice of Dragon City, the capital of three Yan state.

Hosted by Willow Weilan Hai, Senior Vice President of China Institute in America, Director and Chief Curator of China Institute Gallery; in conversation with leading guest curator Dr. Liu Ning, Deputy Director of Liaoning Provincial Museum, and Bai Baoyu, Director of Liaoning Provincial Cultural Relic and Archaeology Institute.

For more information, please contact Tracy Jiao at tjiao@chinainstitute.org.

This full-day international symposium, in conjunction with the exhibition “Gold from Dragon City: Masterpieces of Three Yan from Liaoning, 337-436,” provides an immersive environment to investigate Three Yan artifacts and discover the life of the once-dominated ancient nomad tribe Murong Xianbei, alongside prominent scholars in the field. Through various artifacts, from the shining golden headdress buyao, a signature craft adored by Murong Xianbei, to horse armory such as stirrup, a major equipment breakthrough that boosted cavalry development, the program reflects on the importance of ethnic integration and cultural exchanges that could propel civilization.

Featured Speakers:

Dr. Annette Juliano – Professor Emeritus, Rutgers University
Dr. Nancy Steinhardt – Professor of East Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art, University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Tian Likun – Former Director of Liaoning Provincial Museum; Former Director of the Chaoyang Museum
Dr. Jin Xu – Jane and Leopold Swergold Associate Professor of Chinese Art History, Columbia University
Dr. Petya Andreeva – Assistant Professor of Asian Art, Vassar College
Dr. Judith Lerner – Independent Art Historian
Boxi Liu – Doctoral candidate, Bard Graduate Center
Hosted by Willow Weilan Hai – Senior Vice President of China Institute in America, Director, and Chief Curator of China Institute Gallery

For more information, please contact Tracy Jiao at tjiao@chinainstitute.org.

The Lead Sponsors of the exhibition and its accompanying public programs are the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, Virginia Kamsky in memory of Didi Pei and an Anonymous Donor. Additional support has been provided by: E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Laurie and David Ying, the New York State Council on the Arts and other individuals and institutional funders.
“Gold from Dragon City” is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
“Gold from Dragon City” is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
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