I've been recently become interested in northern China, Mongolia, and the Taklamakan Desert. I'm intrigued by stories of the Silk Road. So when I saw the exhibition listing in the paper I insisted John come with me to see it on Sunday. It was extensive, much larger than I expected, covering 6,000 years of history and featuring more than 200 artifacts. I cheated and looked those numbers up on the web page; all I remember is it took us two hours to see it all and I was astonished by the quality as well as the quantity of objects on display.

I was especially moved by the fat, round Neolithic pottery with very modern-looking geometric designs in red, black, and pale green. Some of them had little faces modelled in clay and stuck on top for decoration or perhaps in the service of some mysterious ceremony. I marvelled at three beautifully patterned, ornately woven textiles more than two thousand years old, so fragile they could only be displayed under very dim light. I was amused by a funereal body suit made entirely of pieces of jade and gold wires. It looked immensely uncomfortable, but then, the wearer was dead after all. It looked rather effective at keeping out demons which was the purpose. I smiled at the graceful carved and painted wood panels of very fat Imperial ladies playing musical instruments. The highlight was seeing several of the famous life-size terra cotta warriors of Xian and their horses. I would like to see multiple ranks of them, row after row, in situ someday, but I may never get to Xian so this was all the more intriguing. You could still see traces of paint on them. They had quite a lot of personality.

It ought not to surprise me at how timeless art can be, but it does. I kept thinking, "This could have been turned out by the Rookwood pottery last century," or "It seems almost impossible that this was done entirely by hand thousands of years ago." Humor can certainly speak down the ages as well. There was a perfectly recognisable glint of mischief in one of the bronze monkeys' eyes.

You would have to go to China to see such another such display of ancient artifacts and they would not be all in one place. The exhibit closed today in San Francisco. If you find it's coming to your town I urge you to go see it. It truly was unique and breathtaking.

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