英语听力精选进阶版 11421（在线收听）

034 Chinese Han lacquer cup 20 May 2010

Thu, 20 May 10

A lacquer cup made on the orders of the Chinese Han dynasty emperor. Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, tells the story of the cup, most probably given by the emperor to one of his military commanders in North Korea, and how the Chinese maintained loyalty and control by dispensing luxury gifts. The historian Roel Sterckx underlines the importance of lacquer for the period, while writer Isabel Hilton looks at how the production of goods under state control has remained a consistent interest of the Chinese.