On Role of Gold and Silver Wares in the Grassland Silk Road in Liao Dynasty

Gold and silver wares in Liao Dynasty were wonderful ethnic cultural heritage of the northern prairie area. Gold wares appeared in the area early in 3,500 years ago. With the national development and innovation for generations,they have developed into unique ethnic and local characteristics,and obtained a self-contained development sequence by being integrated with Chinese and Western culture factors. This unique cultural tradition has been inherited from generation to generation. In Liao Dynasty,gold and silver wares developed with unprecedented achievements,of which foreign cultural factors played an important role. In early and middle Liao Dynasty,in particular,they were deeply influenced by Tang culture and Western culture,showing rich styles of Tang Dynasty and the West. By the mid-Liao Dynasty,the Song Dynasty cultural elements began to be infiltrated into the gold and silver wares; while in late-Liao Dynasty,they were totally the style of or input from the Song Dynasty,showing how important role they played in the cultural exchanges on the Grassland Silk Road.