The Advent of Chinese Civilization

Roof Tile with an Animal Mask (Taotie)
China, Warring States period (Yan state), 5th–4th century BC

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 4
March 24, 2026 (Tue) - August 16, 2026 (Sun)

This section of the gallery traces the development of Chinese civilization through ancient pottery, jade objects, texts, and bronzes. The collection includes Neolithic pottery from the Loess Plateau, a range of stone tools from Northern China, jade objects and oracle-bone inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (ca. 1600–ca. 1100 BC), and roof tiles from each era.

Major Work(s) on Exhibit 7 results

	Designation	Name	Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
		Jar with a Handle	Found in Gansu or Qinghai Province, China	Majiayao culture, ca. 2600–2300 BC	Gift of Dr. Yokogawa Tamisuke, TJ-659
Highlight		Short-Necked Jar	Found in Gansu or Qinghai Province, China	Majiayao culture, ca. 2600–2300 BC	TJ-5571
Highlight		Roof Tile with an Animal Mask (Taotie)	China	Warring States period (Yan state), 5th–4th century BC	TJ-5788
		Oracle Bones	Found in Yinxu, Anyang City, Henan Province, China	Shang dynasty, 13th-11th century BC	TJ-4666-43
Highlight		Crown-Shaped Jade	China	Liangzhu culture, 3rd millennium BC	TJ-5668
Highlight		Animal-Shaped Jade	China	Liangzhu culture, 3rd millennium BC	TJ-5550
Highlight		Accessory	China	Shang dynasty, 13th–11th century BC	TJ-4828

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