Jingzhou, Hubei.

Jingzhou’s old city is enclosed by substantial surviving walls, gates and a moat. The visible brickwork carries a history of rebuilding, including major work in the Ming and Qing periods. Gates mark passages between the enclosed streets and the city outside, while the moat gives the defences another visible edge. The ancient Chu capital and its archaeological remains form an earlier layer of history elsewhere in the Jingzhou area.

The tiger-based, bird-framed drum is among the most recognisable kinds of object from Chu burials in the Jingzhou area. A drum is suspended between long-legged birds standing on tigers. The support makes an instrument into a composition of animals, balancing the upright birds against the low bodies beneath them. It can be read first through its shape, before a visitor knows any dynastic names.