Spend some time wandering around among the spectacular maps, objects, and Flash video tours of recently excavated materials from the Liao empire (907-1125), online at the Asia Society.  The "Selected Liao Dynasty Sites" section shows you where some of the actual sites are located, ranging across northeastern China, from Liaoning to Hebei.  "Virtual Tours of Liao Tombs" provides a 360 degree turn around the brightly painted walls of several different tombs.  It's another piece in the complex history puzzle of central Asian and Chinese cultural exchange, religious beliefs, and trade -- a history sure to become increasingly important over the next few decades, as both central Asia and China move back into central geopolitical significance. 

But all of that aside, these are simply gorgeous pieces. 

(via The Asian Studies WWW Monitor)