Coming to Cathay: Art of the Semu People in Mongol Yuan China

Abstract

The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in Chinese history was ruled by the Mongols who conquered most of the Eurasian continent. Although much attention has been given to the hybrid art in diverse media produced in this period, this dissertation takes a less studied perspective, the semu (neither Chinese nor Mongol) people living in Yuan China as the centre. Based on their dominating cultural identities, the semu people under discussion include Christians, Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists who formed the intermediate level between the Mongol ruling class and the native Chinese in this multi-ethnic society. Setting Yuan China as part of the Mongol empire, this dissertation investigates the hybrid forms of ..