SHANGHAI - Since ancient times, the horse has been both a vital companion to human beings and a spiritual emblem woven into the fabric of Chinese civilization. It served in farming and warfare, enabled postal and transport services, embodied ceremonial grandeur and auspiciousness. As the Bing-Wu Year of the Horse arrives and spring returns, we are proud to present this exhibition, "Galloping into Spring". The phrase qi ji in its Chinese title echoes the sound of "miracle" in the same language, while evoking the image of a fine horse catching the favorable spring breeze. It conveys the idea of embarking on a new great journey in a flourishing age, when grand visions meet auspicious timing, and all creation is renewed with limitless possibilities ahead.

This exhibition brings together 16 pieces or sets of horse-themed artifacts spanning about a millennium. Here, you will encounter a bronze chariot from the Leitai Tomb of the Han dynasty in Wuwei—the same site that yielded the famed bronze sculpture, "A Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow"—and experience the imposing spectacle of Han chariot processions. You will appreciate the "Celestial Immortal Riding a Galloping Horse", a sculpture infused with the lively spirit of Han jade carving. And in Xu Beihong's Drinking Horse and Zhang Daqian's After Cao Ba's Yu Hua Cong, you will feel the "soul and sinew" of the horse convexe through the flowing energy of ink.

As we celebrate the arrival of spring, may our visitors find inspiration from these steeds in the spring breeze, behold the noble images of horses across the ages, and hear the resounding hoofbeats of history. And may everyone go well in the coming Chinese New Year—swift as a galloping horse and victorious in every endeavor!

2026-02-04 - 2026-03-17

Bronze Yao Carriage with a Royal Servant Steering the Horse, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220). Full Height 44 cm, Length 56 cm. Unearthed from the Leitai Tomb of the Han dynasty, Jinyang Town, Liangzhou District, Wuwei, Gansu Province in 1969 © Gansu Provincial Museum

Bronze Ji (halberd)-holding Cavalryman, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 Height of horse 39.3 cm, Length 34.9 cm. Unearthed from the Leitai Tomb of the Han dynasty, Jinyang Town, Liangzhou District, Wuwei, Gansu Province in 1969 © Gansu Provincial Museum

Bronze Mao (spear)-holding Cavalryman, Eastern Han dynasty (25-220). Height of horse 39.0 cm, Length 33.5 cm; Height of figurine 27.7 cm. Unearthed from the Leitai Tomb of the Han dynasty, Jinyang Town, Liangzhou District, Wuwei, Gansu Province in 1969 © Gansu Provincial Museum

Round-carved White Jade Sculpture "Celestial Immortal Riding a Galloping Horse", Western Han dynasty (202 BCE–8 CE). Full height 7.0 cm, Length 8.9 cm, Width 3.0 cm. Unearthed in the vicinity of the Wei Mausoleum of the Emperor Yuan of the Han dynasty in Xinzhuang, Zhouling, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province in 1966 © Xianyang Museum

Rubbing of Saluzi, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Rubbing of Teqinbiao, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Rubbing of Quanmaogua, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Rubbing of Qingzhui, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Rubbing of Baitiwu, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Rubbing of Shifachi, One of the Six Stone-carved Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty, Early 20th century. Length 200 cm, Width 136 cm © The Shanghai Museum

The Zhao Mausoleum is the joint mausoleum of Li Shimin (599-649), the Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty, and Empress Zhangsun, posthumously known as the Civil and Virtuous Empress. Its construction took more than a century and eventually included over 180 tombs that surround the tomb of the emperor and empress, making the mausoleum one of the largest imperial burial complexes in ancient China.

The Six Steeds of the Zhao Mausoleum refer to the reliefs of six warhorses that accompanied Li Shimin through life-and-death campaigns. Carved in relief on panels flanking the northern Sima Gate of the mausoleum, they are respectively named Saluzi, Quanmaogua, Baitiwu, Teqinbiao, Qingzhui, and Shifachi. The Emperor Taizong regarded them as comrades-in-arms and as immortal emblems of the indelible contributions to the founding of the Tang empire. Legend has it that he ordered the painter Yan Liben to produce the designs and Liben's elder brother Lide to oversee the creation of the reliefs, which were carved in bluestone using the jiandi gaorou ("high relief with a reduced ground") technique. Each relief stands about 1.7 meters tall, 2 meters wide, and weighs several tons. With three-petal manes and knotted tails, the charging or standing steeds vividly embody the majesty of Tang warhorses, celebrating both the Emperor Taizong's illustrious military exploits and the accomplishments of Tang stone sculpture.

In the early 20th century, the reliefs of Saluzi and Quanmaogua were removed by local warlords. They later passed through the hands of the antique dealer C. T. Loo and eventually went overseas. Today they are housed in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The other four reliefs had also been broken and were nearly sold illegally through theft, but the Xi'an Beilin Museum has managed to reassemble and restore them and now displays them with replicas of the other two in a newly renovated gallery.

The rubbings of the Six Steeds presented in this exhibition come from the collection of the Shanghai Museum. The complete set comprises six sheets bearing the "Mark of Rubbings of Antiques by the Li Family in Chang'an". Since the original stones were carved in high relief, making direct rubbing impossible, Li Yuexi (1881-1946), a renowned rubbing master from Chang'an, devised a new method: he created flat templates based on the original carvings, then adopted the chuita ("mallet-rubbing") technique used for bronzes to produce the rubbings. Then he reconstructed rubbings for the two lost steeds, thereby making the whole set complete. His son Li Songru carried on this craft, enabling the survival of this rare set. Although not obtained directly from the original stones, these rubbings closely match the originals in form, proportion, and spirit, serving as significant testimony to modern rubbing craftsmanship and the safeguarding of cultural heritage.

Figurine of a Drum-playing Horseman, Tang dynasty (618-907). Full Height 39.5 cm. Unearthed from the tomb of Murong Zhi of the Tuyuhun state in Chashan Village, Qilian Town, Tianzhu County, Wuwei, Gansu Province in 2019 © Gansu Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology

Brown-glazed Ceramic Horseman, Tang dynasty (618-907). Height 6.8 cm, Length of horse 5.8 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Brown-glazed Ceramic Horse, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height 9.6 cm, Length 12.2 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Red-green Painted Ceramic Horsewoman, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height 11.3 cm, Length 7.4 cm, Width 2.5 cm. Gift of Fang Liang © The Shanghai Museum

White-glazed Black-tinted Ceramic Horse, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height 8.6 cm, Length 8.1 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Celadon-glazed Ceramic Horse, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height 7.3 cm, Length 7.6 cm © The Shanghai Museum

The five ceramic horses of this section are small pottery works, lively in form and varied in glaze, reflecting the rustic charm and touch of life of folk kilns.

The brown-glazed horseman features bright glaze and vivid expression. The man on the saddle wears a futou headgear and holds the reins. His face naturally matches the horse's ears, possessing a harmonious and delightful charm. The red-green painted horsewoman is rendered with red, green, and black pigments. Her upright riding posture and graceful facial characteristics evoke the poised elegance of women during the Song and Jin periods. The brown-glazed horse shows a balanced glaze, full contours, a naturally hanging tail, and a steady, dignified stance. The white-glazed black-tinted horse is coated entirely in lustrous white glaze, with black pigment on its eyes, giving it a meek expression. Modeled in an accurate and expressive manner, the celadon-glazed horse has a fine clay body and smooth glaze. Its mane is long and neatly arranged, and its ornaments clearly rendered. The hollow interior suggests it was made by piece molds.

Horses played an important role in ancient Chinese society and were deeply cherished, making them a popular subject in ceramic art. These pieces not only reflect the ingenuity of their makers but also allow the image of the horse to be passed down through art from generation to generation.

Carved Red Lacquer Brush Pot Depicting Bole (the horse physiognomist) Judging a Horse, Late Ming to early Qing dynasties (17th century). Red lacquer. Height 9.3cm, Diameter 5.2 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Black Lacquer Peach-shaped Dish with Mother-of-pearl Inlay of a Steed, Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Length 11.2 cm, Width 11.0 cm © The Shanghai Museum

Xu Beihong (1895-1953), Drinking Horse, hanging scroll, dated 1948. Color on paper. Height 68.8 cm, Length 37.2 cm. Gift of Gu Lijiang © The Shanghai Museum

Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), After Cao Ba's Yu Hua Cong, hanging scroll, 1947. Color on paper. Height 118.0 cm, Width 61.8 cm. © The Shanghai Museum