6th-century yellow-glazed flask witnesses cultural exchange

This yellow-glazed flat flask from the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), with an oval mouth and a pear-shaped belly, is a silent witness to ancient cultural exchange between East and West.

Identical designs, molded in shallow relief, adorn both the front and back. At the center is a standing Hu (non-Han) person, holding what seems to be a mace in his left hand. Two lions crouch on either side of the figure, facing forward with their heads turned. The sides of the flask are molded with elephant heads with long trunks extending downwards to the base. A border of bead motifs frames the design.

Unearthed in 1956 in Yumengou, Taiyuan, Shanxi province, the flask is now a treasure in the collection of the Shanxi Museum.