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- APPENDIX
Tomb Layout
Most of the tombs discussed in this section belong to the category of large-size tombs of emperors and the nobility. The purpose is to give an idea of the elaborate preparations which were involved when entombing the deceased. Even though the ceramic tomb figurines in this exhibit probably came from the tombs of low- and middle-ranking members of the elite, it is impotant to note that often their tombs were similar in layout and construction to the larger ones, but on a much reduced scale.
I Monumental Stone Sculptures at Tombs
Burials in ancient China were often very elaborate affairs, and special attention was given to decorating the exterior of tombs to make them look as imposing as possible. The practice of placing stone sculptures above ground at tomb sites dates back at least to the Western Han dynasty (206 b.c-a.d. 8). It became very popular with emperors and nobles and was to last until the twentieth century. These stone statues not only enhanced the dignity of the tomb and served to glorify the memory of the deceased, but they were also intended to protect the corpse against evil spirits and to prevent violation of the grave. Usually there were stone carvings of men and animals arrayed on both sides of a path known as the sacred way or spirit avenue (shendao), which led to the burial mound or tumulus.
The earliest known group of stone sculptures marking the exterior of a tomb is located near Xianyang city in Shaanxi province at the grave of a famous Western Han general named Huo Qubing (140-117 b.c), who led many expeditions against China�s powerful enemy, the Xiongnu nomads. There are sixteen stone sculptures scattered about his tomb, including horses, an ox, a tiger, an elephant, a boar, a rat, a ram, fish, a frog, an alligator, a giant fighting with a bear, a large man, and a monster eating a sheep. The best known and most admired of the sculptures is a statue of a horse astride a nomad (fig. i), which can be explained as a tribute to his military career.
During the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 a.d ), the placing of stone sculptures and memorial stelae at tombs of the elite began to appear in earnest. These sculptures include elephants, rams, humans and columns, but the most popular subjects were statues of lions (fig. ii) and mythical winged felines, or chimeras, called qilin, tianlu or bixie (fig. iii), which were in pairs and usually depicted in a striding posture.
During the succeeding Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and the Jin dynasty (265-420), the custom of placing stone carvings at tombs appears to have declined, since few examples have survived. However, the following epoch, the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (317-589), has numerous tomb sculpture specimens still in situ. No less than thirty-one tomb sites of the Southern Dynasties have survived near Nanjing and Danyang with stone sculptures of fluted columns, tortoise-baring stelae and winged felines in pairs facing each other (figs, iv and v). The massive yet graceful winged creatures of this period, which have proudly raised heads, gaping mouths and swelling chests, must rank with the finest stone sculptures ever created in China. The same cannot be said of the stiff, stone tomb sculptures of the Northern Dynasties, which are more rare, such as the horse from a tomb belonging to the Xia state (407-431) (fig. vi), the official from a tomb of the Northern Wei dynasty (386- 534) (fig. vii), and a winged creature of the Western Wei (535-558) tomb of Emperor Wen (fig. viii).
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