Box with “peach-blossom grotto”

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Three Chinese characters incised on a rectangular piece of shell at upper right identify the scene on this box as the “peach-blossom grotto” (tao yuan dong). The phrase refers to a famous poem by Tao Qian (365–427) in which a fisherman enters a grotto and stumbles upon Shangri-la. As is invariably the case with such magical realms, once the man leaves the cave he is never able to return.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art