Unearthing emotions

In the book, Zheng Yan describes a scene when a potter was so tired and angry with endless work-an indication of prosperous society at that time-that he created a colored pottery piece, featuring a young girl falling asleep on a camel. The relic was unearthed from a Tang Dynasty (618-907) tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Zheng Yan captures the potter's complaints about his boss' demand that his pieces show the different skin colors of the figures he portrays and their detailed physical depictions, because they came to the Tang capital from various regions west of China for trade and leisure.