Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China

from Chang'an in central China across the Tianshan range into Central Asia

Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

— — five thousand kilometres of road that carried the world to itself.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The 2014 UNESCO inscription strung 33 component sites along the eastern half of the Silk Roads, from the Han and Tang capitals at Xi'an and Luoyang across the Hexi Corridor and over the Tianshan mountains into Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. About 5,000 kilometres of caravan track, Buddhist cave temples, beacon towers, and trading towns. The first transnational World Heritage site of the Silk Road network. — from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Chang'an–Tianshan Corridor is the eastern half of the historical Silk Roads, inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 as the first multi-country World Heritage Site shared by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The 33 component sites stretch about 5,000 kilometres from the imperial capitals at Xi'an (Han Chang'an) and Luoyang to the Zhetysu region of southeastern Kazakhstan. Tang-era postal stations, the Buddhist cave temples at Kizil in the Kucha oasis, the Han Great Wall at Yumen Pass, and the trading town of Suyab on the Chu River all sit on the inscribed list.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia

— the stone

The list runs through three thousand years of construction. The Han earthen ramparts at Yumen Pass and Yangguan still stand on the edge of the Gobi after two millennia. The Tang Daming Palace at Xi'an has been excavated to its 11-square-kilometre footprint. The Kizil cave temples in the Kucha oasis hold Buddhist murals from the 3rd to 8th centuries, among the earliest surviving in China. The fortress at Akyrtas in Kazakhstan is built of red sandstone blocks weighing as much as five tonnes each.

— informed by UNESCO

— the visit

The 33 sites lie across three countries and are reached by very different roads. The Chinese cluster around Xi'an, Luoyang, Dunhuang, and the Kucha oasis is accessible by high-speed rail and bus. The Kazakh and Kyrgyz sites in the Talas and Chu valleys require a car and a guide; visa rules vary by country. Dunhuang, Kucha, and the Bishkek base for the Chu valley sites are the standard footholds. Spring and autumn are the workable seasons; midsummer in the Taklamakan and midwinter in the Tianshan close most of the corridor.

— informed by UNESCO

— where

People's Republic of China · China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

at the lake

Xi'an (Chang'an)

imperial capital

1600 km W

Dunhuang

oasis town

4200 km W end

Suyab

trading town

Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor

Xi'an (Chang'an)

Dunhuang

Suyab

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The eastern half of the historical Silk Roads, inscribed by UNESCO in 2014 as a single World Heritage Site shared by China, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It includes 33 component sites across about 5,000 kilometres.

Three. China holds 22 of the sites, Kazakhstan 8, and Kyrgyzstan 3. It is the first transnational World Heritage Site in the wider Silk Road system, with further corridors through Iran and Central Asia under nomination.

Imperial capitals, Buddhist cave temples, frontier fortifications, beacon towers, caravan stations, oasis trading cities, and the tombs of the rulers who taxed the trade. Yumen Pass, Kizil, Akyrtas, and Suyab are the most cited.

From the Han dynasty's opening of the western regions around 130 BC through the Tang dynasty's height in the 8th century AD. Traffic shifted to maritime routes after the 14th century, and the overland network slowly faded.

Horses, paper, glass, jade, spices, Buddhist sutras, Nestorian missionaries, and the diseases that travelled with them. The 14th-century plague pandemic moved west along this same corridor.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The piece reads as a map of trade rather than a tourist view. A Medium or Large with a handwritten note from the studio works for an office or a study where the geography matters.

The earthen and lapis tones suit warm Mid-century, Library Traditional, and Eastern-modern interiors. The piece anchors a wall of books better than it does a sofa.

A 4-tile Mural for a sofa wall; a single Large above a console; the 9-tile Mural for a long study or hallway. The geometry of the route reads better at larger sizes.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface beneath a sealed protective layer, so steam and splash do not affect it.

A microfibre cloth with plain water. Skip citrus and ammonia cleaners, which can dull the surface across years of use.

— if this one stayed with you