A constant steed of strength

If those lines had a visual counterpart, it would be the bronze horse unearthed from the Wuwei Han tomb. As if sheer motion demanded a witness, a bird is cast beneath its lifted hind hoof — startled, twisting back in alarm at the very instant the charging animal overtakes it, an unstoppable force rendered in bronze.

The quest for these "nomad steeds" — or "heavenly steeds" — began with Zhang Qian's extraordinary mission. Yet, few remember that Zhang, who departed dreaming of such creatures, returned 13 years later with neither horse nor retinue. All but one companion had deserted him or died along the way, leaving only the envoy himself to carry home the knowledge that would reshape China's horizons.

"Why was Du Fu so enthralled by the horse?" Tan asks.

"Because it carries a youthful spirit so characteristic of his time. At the core of that spirit is courage — a fierce inward fire that beats in rhythm with the times — and an unshakable belief in one's mission, in rising to meet the moment that history demands."