This splendid publication celebrates and documents several new major donations including 500 ancient bronze, silver and gold items from China and Central Asia, an important collection of early jade, bronze and ceramic artefacts from the famous Shang ruins, and much more. A scholarly essay provides a detailed analysis of their uses and the skill with which they were crafted. This richly illustrated publication offers unrivaled material for the study of daily life across the length and breadth of ancient China, revealing to us the different classes of people found in China and how they prepared for the afterlife. Essential reading for scholars, collectors and students of Chinese and Central Asian history and archeology. With over 100 color illustrations.