Mingqi is general term used for objects placed in Chinese tombs, entombed to provide the deceased with material comforts enjoyed in this world in their new "after" life. Mingqi are to be found in virtually all periods of Chinese history, but the custom of including ceramic figurines in tomb hoards became especially popular in the Tang period. Mingqi offer modern scholars a wealth of information about Chinese society. Ceramic models of servants, musicians, ladies-in-waiting, military escorts, figures from virtually all walks of life were included in Tang-era tombs, and by examining these figures, we can learn about what clothing and jewelry people wore, what sorts of music they listened to, and many other salient aspects of Tang popular culture.

These two individuals, one apparently a court official and the other a military officer, appear to be of Central Asian heritage. Türkic soldiers, valued for their martial skill, were an important addition to the Tang militia and even numbered among members of the Palace Guard; neither was it unusual for foreigners to serve the Tang court as advisors and bureaucrats. Indeed, the countless number of foreigner mingqi figurines found in Tang-era tombs leaves us with an impression of a very active role played by foreigners at all levels of Tang Chinese society.