An enlightening look at the art, culture, and people of the Mongol Empire in China before Chinggis Khan.

The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history, but its origins lie in a rich and often overlooked cultural world that flourished long before the rise of Chinggis Khan. This book traces the history of Northeast Asia from around 900 to 1400, focusing on the dynamic region along the Great Wall where nomadic and sedentary societies met, competed, and exchanged ideas. By placing the arts, cultures, and lifeways of nomadic peoples at the center of the story, Arts Along the Great Wall challenges conventional narratives that privilege imperial China alone. Reconstructing the cultural foundations of the Mongol rise, it reveals how the peoples who ruled the frontier shaped the emergence of a medieval superpower and transformed the history of Eurasia.