The Khitan Cabinet is a digital archive platform centred upon the material culture of the Liao dynasty. The archive presents over 2,000 artifacts housed in the privately-run Khitan Museum, located in Inner Mongolia, China. Through high-resolution images, object metadata, and interpretive essays, the project aims to foster appreciation, research, and creative reuse of Khitan heritage. The Khitan people originated in the northeast regions of China and were initially nomadic, later developing a mixed pastoral-agricultural lifestyle. In 907 CE, they established the Liao Dynasty, which became one of the most powerful regimes in China at the time. The dynasty lasted until 1125, when it was overthrown by the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty. Despite its relatively short history, the Liao left behind a brilliant legacy of material culture and ritual life. The Khitan Museum is a privately-run institution based in Inner Mongolia, China. It was founded by Lingjiang Liu, and is currently directed by Xianzhen Liu. The museum’s collection includes over 2,000 objects, ranging from ceramics and metalwork to textiles, jade, and epigraphy. As a grassroots cultural initiative, the museum is committed to the preservation, research, and public presentation of Khitan cultural heritage.
The Khitan Cabinet is freely accessible online. It is designed as a long-term public resource for researchers, educators, artists, students, and anyone interested in the Khitan legacy. Visitors are encouraged to explore, interpret, and reuse the content respectfully. We aspire to preserve and present the cultural heritage of the Khitan people through digital means, educating and enlightening visitors by showcasing historical landscapes, and fostering a deeper understanding of the material world left behind by the Liao Dynasty.
The Khitan Cabinet is supported by a small team of heritage practitioners, researchers, and technical collaborators.
We welcome visitors to explore our exhibitions and artefacts. Check out our Collections page to see highlights.
The Khitan Cabinet is a digital archive based on a private collection. While every effort has been made to document, contextualize, and interpret the objects in accordance with academic standards, some entries may include provisional identifications, non-verifiable provenance, or speculative attributions due to the incomplete nature of the available data. We welcome feedback, corrections, and scholarly collaboration. If you wish to contribute or identify errors, please contact Kiri Liu at khitancabinet@163.com. Thank you for your critical engagement and understanding.