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- are leading an animal (fig. iv). They appear to be mostly of Turkic stock. Many ended up in China as prisoners of war or were simply sent as slaves to the Tang court along with tribute or gifts of animals from foreign lands. The tomb figurines of merchants and grooms are often wearing unusual hats, such as pointed hats with an upturned rim, and are dressed in single or double lapelled coats, which are tied at the waist with a sash or leather belt. The trousers are usually tucked into high boots, which in reality would have been made either of leather or felt.
Some of the tomb figurines of court officials seem to have foreign features. It is known that foreigners, notably of Turkic, Persian and Tocharian stock, occasionally obtained high official positions at the court and within the governmental bureaucracy. To give an example, An Lushan, a general of �barbarian� origin, became the head of the three Regional Commanderies along the north-western frontier. In 755 a.d. he revolted and even captured Luoyang and Changan. However, the Tang imperial family was able to regain the throne from him with the aid of Uighur and other �barbarian� troops, including a group of Arabs.
Foreign musicians, dancers and all kinds of other entertainers came to the Chinese capital to perform, and they were also depicted as tomb figurines. Dances and music from the oasis city of Kucha were extremely popular at the Tang capital and had long-lasting influence on Chinese performing arts. Also costumes, hair�styles and make-up from Central Asia were copied by fashionable Chinese ladies, and this is exemplified by the tomb figurines.
Uighurs played an important role in the commercial lifeofTang China.They were the middlemen in the trade between east and west and controlled a large share of the Chinese trade. Depicted in the tomb figurines, they appear with an oval face, round eyes, a flat long beard, and hooked nose.
Of all the foreign groups living in China, the Persian community was one of the largest and most important. The majority of them engaged in trade, but there were also artisans and designers who introduced new artistic styles and technology, especially in the field of metalwork. Armenians from Asia Minor and Semitic traders also came to China attracted by the profitable trade. When these merchants are depicted as tomb figurines, their features are Caucasian with oval faces and pronounced noses (figs, ii, 51, 52).
A number of city states in Central Asia traded actively with the Chinese. Sogdiana (with Samarkand as its capital), Bactria and Ferghana all traded in horses and camels. Bukhara, not far from Samarkand, produced carpets, which were brought by caravan to China. The Khorezmians, who lived south of the Aral Sea in the oasis, Khiva, also came to trade with China and were among the important middlemen in the East-West trade.
Large groups of Tocharians lived in Central Asian oasis cities of the northern and southern silk routes. They were of Indo-European origin, and when depicted as tomb figurines, they have straight, small noses and small mouths.
There are also some curly-haired boy dancer figurines in neatly draped attire. They have been called �Greco-Roman� types, but their ethnic origin is not certain (fig. iii).
With all these different ethnic people living and trading in China and being depicted as tomb figurines, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly which ethnic group is which.
The Chinese were always keenly interested in foreign peoples and closely observed their unusual appearance and habits. The heavy beard, whiskers and moustache, and prominent noses on the tomb figurines are probably slightly exaggerated, as these features strike the Chinese as strange or comic.
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