The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Special Exhibitions - China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200


	Special Exhibitions


	China: Dawn of a Golden Age, 200–750 AD

		Contents Page

		Fall of an Empire

		The Coming of the Xianbei and Other Nomads

		The Silk Road

		North and South: late 5th–late 6th century

		Reunification: late 6th–8th century

	Work 1 of 8

		Chimera Eastern Han dynasty (25–220) Stone L. 115 3/8 in. (293 cm) Found in Mengjin, Henan Province, 1992 Luoyang Museum



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View a map of archaeological sites in China.

Chimeras, called bixie in Chinese, are mythical hybrids with leonine characteristics as well as wings and horns. They were often carved in stone and placed in pairs at the start of the pathway leading to a tomb. These ferocious beasts were thought to enhance the dignity of the tomb and to protect the dead from malevolent intrusion in the afterlife.

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