Court Lady with Tall Headdress: Tomb Figurine

There was prosperity and flourishing culture in the Tang dynasty. Their capital was at Chang’an, which is present-day Xi’an. There was great interaction with other cultures through trade, diplomacy, and artistic exchange along the Silk Road. Archaeological discoveries of earthenware figures, like this slender woman with a tall headdress, give a vivid picture of everyday life in 8th-century China.

Aristocratic women had a high degree of freedom during the Tang dynasty, especially in contrast with the Neo-Confucianism of the later Song dynasty. Women were well educated and active; paintings exist of Tang women riding horses and participating in hunts and warfare, in addition to doing more courtly, traditionally feminine activities like dancing or making music.