Two Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.) figures of northern tribesmen unearthed in the Northwest city of Xi’an sit on display at the Shaanxi History Museum in May 2020. Photo: VCG

The painted pottery head of a burly man from the Tang dynasty. Photo: VCG

A male figure made from Tang dynasty tricolor glazed pottery is on exhibit at the Shaanxi History Museum in May 2020. Photo: VCG

A figurine of a woeful court lady from the Tang dynasty drew attention when it was on display in May 2021 in Taiyuan, North China Shanxi province. Photo: IC Photo

This figure on a horse was unearthed from the Tang dynasty tomb of Prince Yide in 1972. Photo: VCG

This pottery lamp head from the Western Han dynasty (202 B.C.-8 A.D.) was unearthed in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province in 1999. Photo: VCG

The Pottery Storyteller Beating a Drum from the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 A.D.) is one of the treasures preserved in the National Museum of China in Beijing. Photo: VCG

A terracotta soldier figure unearthed in the tomb of Qin Shihuang, founder of the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.). Photo: IC Photo

Measuring 4.5 centimeters tall, the Warring States period (475–221 B.C.) bronze terracotta figure was on display at the Fujian Museum in East China’s Fujian province in July 2021. Photo: VCG

A toothy bronze mask from the Shang dynasty (1600–1050 B.C.). Photo: VCG

The bronze Yachou Tomahawk from the Shang dynasty was discovered in East China’s Shandong province in 1965 and is now kept at the Shandong Museum. Photo: VCG

The stone-carved face, believed to be a temple ornament used in the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1,600-256 B.C.), was found in the ruins of the town of Shimao in Shaanxi province. The ruins are the largest known Stone Age settlement in China. Photo: VCG