Creation from Creature: Plants and Animals on the Silk Roads

Abstract

Creation from Creature: Plants and Animals on the Silk Roads takes the flora and fauna of the ancient trading routes as its entry point, combining excavated artifacts, natural specimens, and written records to explore this multidimensional environment of cultural exchanges. As the didactic text elaborates, the show embodies the theme that “the Silk Roads change lives.” 1 The title of the exhibition is the first indication of its innovative perspective, removing the narrative of Zhang Qian’s mission to the Western Regions that is typically mentioned before any discussion of the Silk Roads. The new narrative starts instead from those animals and plants. Linked with this distinctive perspective is the central role of smells throughout the exhibition, offering a visceral connection to the unique historical experience and cultural exchange of the Silk Road. Just as Rudyard Kipling pointed out, “Smells are surer than sights and sounds to make your heart-strings crack” (Ackerman 1991, 11). Smells can not only induce affections, but also become affections. So how exactly does this exhibition tell the stories of the Silk Roads through smells?