Gold, swords, art, jewels, helmets and, yes, the magnificent porcelain. These are just some of the stunning objects from a golden age in China's history that ushered in an era of trade, culture and cosmopolitanism that resonates to this day.
The Ming dynasty lasted for 276 years – from 1368 to 1644 – and witnessed the reign of 16 emperors. But Ming: 50 Years That Changed China, an exhibition at the British Museum in London that was five years in the making, places a lens on 1400 to 1450, a moment that is important for several reasons.
"Beijing now becomes the capital city and the Forbidden City is established," says Jessica Harrison-Hall, the curator. "But you also have multiple courts across China where the emperor is represented in the different regions. And you also have a globally connected China because it is the period in which treasure ships are sent to the Middle East and the east coast of Africa."
The establishment of Beijing as the capital was particularly important: it served as a base to protect the regime from the Mongols who had been defeated in 1368, as a bureaucratic centre and also to absorb the flow of information coming from the regions.
"The Ming founder positioned his sons as a presence in the regions across China, guarding the major rivers and borders. So you have a centralised, imperial court, but you also have a type of devolution in the sense you have these princes in palaces across China and also you have bureaucracy which covers the entire country, the size of Europe.
"This brings back information from the most unimportant citizen to the most important minister," says Harrison-Hall.
Four emperors ruled over the period covered by the exhibition.
One of the most important was the Yongle emperor, who was in power from 1402 to 1424.
It was Yongle who established the capital in Beijing, built the Forbidden City (still on China's banknotes today) and also he who supported the admiral and explorer Zheng He on his audacious voyages to project power and build trade links. In fact, this period is striking for China's engagement with the wider world – through these military, court-sponsored expeditions and visits from foreign merchants and dignatories to pay tribute to the emperor.
"Engagement with the world is vital," says Harrison-Hall. "During the Yongle period, which is like the second founding of the Ming, he sends out these huge armed armadas – 27,000 men in flotillas of 600 ships, mostly armed, to reopen the Mongol trading networks and present the power of the new emperor."
The lands and people these armadas descended upon often did not have a choice in the matter – it was "trade with us or else", she says, but it was very much in their favour too.
The flotillas were sent to the Middle East, South East Asia and the east coast of Africa and as a result of this, China enters a time of internationalism and cultural diversity. Contacts extended to Bengal, Sri Lanka, Africa and even Mecca.
"The countries China traded with were rewarded with extraordinary silks, paper money and Chinese goods and porcelain. In return, the Chinese received speciality woods and jewels and perishable goods," says Harrison-Hall.
"They also brought back people – and so a form of international exchange developed with people and ideas, as well as goods. They are not trading direct with Europe at this time. That comes later. But there were Chinese goods that make their way to Europe. There is no one else producing the kind of luxury goods that China is producing at this time."
One of the most powerful legacies of this era was cultural. And this is underlined through the diversity of the exhibition – gold, swords, guns, helmets, jewellery, silver, paintings, costumes, textiles, sculptures, building materials and the beautiful, delicate porcelain.
Among the pieces is a magnificent Cloisonné jar from the Xuande period (1426-35) decorated with dragons and the imperial mark. This jar would have been considered appropriate for imperial use and many superb pieces were made for temples and palaces. The dragon among the clouds mirrors the motifs of the blue and white porcelain of the period.
Another piece is a porcelain flask with blue decorations from the Yongle period. The form is of a pilgrim bottle, made for drinking, and is an adaptation of a much earlier foreign vessel. A third is a hanging scroll painted in ink and colours on silk, which shows an official in front of the Forbidden City.
It is always difficult to take different eras and compare them but the Ming dynasty is regarded as a golden age in the same way that Elizabeth I is regarded in England. The Ming are equivalent to that, or the Ottomans, or these various glorious moments of the past, says Harrison-Hall.
And some preparation went into making all this happen. The collection came from 30 museums – 10 in China alone – and all the paintings on display have to be rolled up and rested for five years before they can be shown again.
"There is this wonderful cultural legacy. And it is bringing all these different aspects together – from the high art right down to workman's tools which built the boats that sailed to the east coast of Africa. It's a slice through society and culture and history. It's presenting you, on a plate, this period of history in all its glorious diversity."
According to Harrison-Hall, it is simply an exhibition that will not be repeated. "The juxtaposition of objects, the bringing together of an excavated Korean robe and showing it next to the Chinese robe – that's something that simply won't be done again.
"There's no film of it, no going to the cinema to have an operative experience of it, it's not even on television. It's a once in a lifetime moment. It will be a life-enriching experience."
Ming: 50 Years That Changed China continues until January 5 at the British Museum. For more information visit www.britishmuseum.org
John Dennehy is the deputy editor of The Review.
jdennehy@thenational.ae
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