TANG DYNASTY (618-907)

The Bactrian camel was not indigenous to China, see Ezekiel Schloss, Ancient Chinese Ceramic Sculpture, Stamford, 1977, vol. II, p. 220, where he discusses the importation of thousands of camels from the states of the Tarim Basin, eastern Turkestan and Mongolia. The Tang state even created a special office to supervise Imperial camel herds which carried out various assignments, including military courier service for the Northern Frontier. The camel was also used by the court and merchants for local transportation and were the 'ships' of the desert, linking China to the oasis cities of Central Asia, Samarkand, Persia and Syria. Unlike the horse, which enjoyed ethereal associations in China, the camel, though appreciated for its endurance and strength, was a difficult animal, usually left to barbarians to attend to. Most figures that ride camels, or once attended them, are foreigners.