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woodslip

Or.8211/941

ink on wood

Overview

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Title

Wooden gift tag accompanying a gift of jade.

Date

100 to 300

Find site

Niya

Measurement

height 6.2 centimetres, width 1.1 centimetres

Material

ink on wood

Language / script

Chinese (lang.) Chinese (script)

Description

Scope and content : One of several wooden tags, discovered buried in sand in the hallway of a large ruined house, used to label gifts of jade presented to the royal family of the kingdom of Jingjue or Cadota in the southern Taklamakan Desert. The front gives details of the gift: ‘The subject, Chengde, touching is forehead to the ground, respectfully presents this pink stone jade, bowing twice, with his greetings’. The back gives the name of the recipient: 'The great king'.

Institution

British Library

Provenance

Stein 1906-8

Find site identifier

Niya

Stein site number

N.XIV.iii.2.

Find site description

The Niya archaeological site is approximately 50 miles north of modern Niya/Minfeng on the southern arm of the old Silk Road.

Chavannes, E.L'instruction d'un futur empereur de Chine en l'an 1193Mémoires concernant l'Asie Orientale116-641913astronomy

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