Ashgabat opens an exhibition of horses in Chinese art, with the Akhal-Teke remembered as the "heavenly horse"

On 13 November the exhibition "Heavenly Steeds of the Millennium: Horses in Chinese Art" opened at the Museum of Fine Arts of Turkmenistan in Ashgabat. It runs until 18 November and was earlier shown at the Xinjiang Art Museum and in Hong Kong.

The organisers are the Turkmen embassy in China and the China Association for Cultural Exchanges with Foreign Countries. Culture Minister Gurbanmyrat Myradaliyev, Chinese Ambassador Ji Shumin and Guychmyrat Baymyradov of the state association Türkmen Atlary spoke at the opening.

The show has two parts: "Ancient Origins, New Harmonies" on historical horse art, and "The New Sound of the Horse" with works by contemporary Chinese artists. It includes Ren Zhe's bronze sculpture "Blazing Steed Beyond the Dust".

According to the source, the Akhal-Teke, called "winged" or "heavenly" in ancient times, is treated as a cultural link between Turkmenistan and China along the Silk Road. 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese calendar.