The Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), China's Golden Age, was a flourishing
period teeming with fascinating cultural phenomena. At the centre of
this cosmopolitan empire lay the capital city of Chang'an - one of the
largest metropolises of its time and now hidden below present-day
Xi'an.Aristocrats as protagonists of courtly life shaped the character
of the city, their luxurious everyday life equally reflected in lavishly
furnished tombs. Nowadays, most of these tombs are found robbed.
Evidence of the former splendour of these subterranean chambers only
survives in the form of marvellous wall paintings and clay figurines
disregarded by the grave robbers.