 Asia is a vast continent, but the trading of goods and materials across land and sea routes brought ideas and cultures across long distances. For instance, this pouring vessel was made in China in the 10th century and sold in Indonesia. But the design actually comes from cultures in Iran, where this kind of pitcher was made in metal. So the Chinese imported metal pitchers from Iran, copied them in ceramic, and then exported the copies to Southeast Asia. Blue and white ceramics like this wine jar were a major export for China starting in the early 14th century. Most buyers were in the Middle East, where they had not yet developed the technology for making porcelain. But there was one element of the ceramics that was actually traveling full circle. The blue cobalt used to paint the decorations, which until the 15th century came from mines in Iran. And China wasn't the only East Asian culture that adopted ideas from outside its domain. Most mythical animals once guarded the interior of a Shinto shrine in Japan, where they are called Koma Inu, or Korean lions, acknowledging that the idea of guardian lions was imported. One Koma Inu usually has its mouth open, while the other has its mouth closed. They are said to be making the sounds ah and mmm, which have an even more distant origin. The first and last letters of the alphabet in the ancient Indian language Sanskrit, which was known to Japanese scholars through early Buddhist texts.