In 138 BCE, Zhang Qian, the envoy of the Western Han Dynasty, set out from Chang’an with his delegation and went through the Western Regions, initiating the Silk Road and the millennia of exchange and dialogue between China and the Central Asian civilizations.
The exhibition features a pottery figurine of a Hu traveller napping on a camel, which is the most vivid one among the many excavated camel images along the Silk Road. It depicts the camel trekking on the long Silk Road, stopping and grunting in exhaustion, while the Hu person takes a nap on the camel’s back, resting on their arms, seemingly having a sweet dream.
The Silk Road is a path for cultural and trade exchange. In ancient times, envoys, monks, merchants, and migrating people from many countries and regions in Europe, Asia, and Africa travelled through the Silk Road, chasing their dreams. Nowadays, people from all over the world still interact with each other along this ancient and great path pursuing their brilliant goals.
By displaying this national treasure, we hope that the audience learns about the vitality of the Silk Road as well as the people who once pursued their dreams on it.