The Legacy Of Genghis Khan -- Victoria Exhibits 3,500 Years Of Inner Mongolian Objects Never Before Shown Outside China

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"Empires Beyond the Great Wall, The Heritage of Genghis Khan," at the Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, B.C., through Sept. 10. The museum is open daily. Tickets for adults are about $4.25 U.S. if purchased at the museum, or about $6.50 U.S. if purchased in advance through TicketMaster, 628-0888. Prices in U.S. currency vary slightly depending on daily currency exchange rates. Because the museum is already experiencing near-capacity crowds, it is recommended that tickets be purchased ahead of time. ------------------------------------------------------------------

In Western books and movies, Genghis Khan is a ruthless conqueror leading galloping hordes of bloodthirsty cavalry on rampages across the Central Asian steppes.

And, as a recently opened archeological show in Victoria, B.C., suggests, much of that portrayal is accurate.

The Mongol leader, who ruled from A.D. 1206 to 1227, conquered an empire that at its height extended from Hungary to Korea and was larger than the empire of Alexander the Great. Tribes that refused to surrender could expect to have every adult male slaughtered as a matter of policy. In order to travel hundreds, even thousands, of miles swiftly carrying little food or water, Genghis Khan and his cavalry (there were no foot soldiers in his army) slashed veins in their horses' necks and drank their blood for sustenance.

But the value of "Empires Beyond the Great Wall, the Heritage of Genghis Khan" - aside from such intriguing footnotes as the equine bloodletting - is that it weaves a panoramic tapestry encompassing the several thousand years of Inner Mongolian culture that led up to Genghis Khan. It also shows another side of Genghis Khan, who in addition to his uncompromising quest for power, was a brilliant strategist and the head of a complex civilization. It is a history that few Westerners know, since little of the rich inventory of archeological information excavated from the region has been shown outside of China.

The show originated at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, and has since traveled to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Victoria is expected to be its last stop before returning to China. The objects have never before been shown outside of China.

Though lacking the splendor and dazzle of such blockbusters as the King Tut show of the '70s and the Chinese historical treasures shown in Seattle in the late '80s, "Empires Beyond the Great Wall" is a valuable and compelling exhibit for anyone interested in Chinese history, or those who have wondered about the near-mythical Mongolian civilization.

It spans 3,500 years of Inner Mongolian culture from 2,000 B.C. to the 14th century A.D. and is concerned with the people who lived in the high, harsh northern steppes of China, a territory still known as Inner Mongolia. (The autonomous nation of Mongolia is just above it.) The 200 objects on display are more artifact than art, and they describe a series of civilizations that were forced by the harsh terrain of the steppes and the warring climate of the times to be practical. Artifacts exhibited include daggers, ornaments for saddles and robes, pots for cooking and food storage, furniture and funerary figures. These are mostly small items that, despite the effort put into their ornamentation, were practical and easy to pack on short notice.

Many of the objects are decorated with horses and horse motifs, since the Mongol culture was highly dependent on the sturdy, nimble, compact horses that they used for their astoundingly effective warfare and speedy communications. In war, warriors were expected to stand in their saddles, twist backward as the ponies galloped away from their opponents at top speed, and shoot arrows over their shoulders. And long before the Pony Express cut days off transcontinental communications in the U.S., the Mongols set up a pony express that required extreme stamina of both horses and riders, who wore the messages strapped to their bodies and wore broad belts to keep them upright in the saddles should they become too weary to sit straight.

A few pieces in the exhibit, such as the gold-gilded bronze funerary mask and a delicate gold crown, are startlingly lovely. But it is telling that the more artful, delicate pottery in the exhibit is presumed to have been made by master ceramicists from Southern China who were captured in wars as slaves and brought back to Mongolian cities to make pottery for the aristocracy.

Adam Kessler, the Los Angeles archeologist who curated the show and who personally tracked down the artifacts in remote Inner Mongolian city museums and government storehouses, said the rich history of the region is just now coming to international light. The dry climate of Inner Mongolia has helped preserve ancient artifacts now being uncovered in archeological digs.

Kessler is a Chinese history expert whose adventures in Inner Mongolia organizing the show have earned him something of an "Indiana Jones" reputation. During the six trips he made to Inner Mongolia from 1991 to 1994 to organize the show, he traveled in areas that rarely see tourists and lack much of the infrastructure taken for granted in the West.

"I traveled with vans that flipped over on bad roads. There were flash floods. Transmissions fell out," shrugged Kessler during an interview in Victoria. "You count on the people driving them to know how to fix them, and they do know, because they have to."

One of the biggest surprises, Kessler said, was the realization that "in pre-dynastic Inner Mongolia, over 100 walled cities have been surveyed. So there was a precedent for the Great Wall."

---------------- HOW TO GET THERE ----------------

The speediest and most scenic ways to get to Victoria are by taking the Victoria Clipper or Kenmore Air. The clipper is a pleasant, nicely-maintained , modern boat that leaves from Pier 69 in downtown Seattle and takes 2.5 hours to get to Victoria's Inner Harbour, which is on the doorsteps of the Royal British Columbia Museum. The fare is $83 round trip, though there are discounts for early booking and ticket purchase. For information: 448-5000.

Kenmore Air also has daily service, offering 45-minute flights from Lake Union to the Inner Harbour in float planes. Round trip fare is $141.50. For information: 486-1257.

Many Victoria hotels, including The Empress, are offering packages including museum admission tickets, sightseeing tours and accommodations, through prices vary at different times during the spring and summer. For information about The Empress, call (604) 384-8111. For general information on accommodations in Victoria, call (800) 663-3883.