Crown of Empress Xiao of Sui Dynasty revealed in northwest China

The crown of Empress Xiao has gone through laboratory analysis and relics protection procedures, according to the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics Protection and the Yangzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics Archaeology. It is the best preserved crown ever discovered in China to date.

The study of the crown's structure and materials serves to shed light on dressing etiquette during the Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD) and Tang Dynasty (618-907). For instance, experts discovered that the cotton used during the Sui Dynasty was grown in southern China; this offers a new basis for the study of the cultivation and transmission of Chinese cotton. In addition, the crown's gilded bronze tiles reveal the complex norm for hair accessories in that era. (CNS/Tian Jin)