Page 513 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

be a male conductor, or drum major. The musicians, burials is the tomb of Zhang Wenzao (d. 1074),
in the midst of a vigorous performance, stand in recently excavated in the Xuanhua district, Hebei
two rows of six, forming a double arc from left to province, in which a male band is depicted playing
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right. The tiny dancers, dressed in Central Asian many of the same instruments. Even then, 150
costumes, assume identical positions in the lower years later, with male musicians instead of female, a
right corner. Behind them, seen frontally, is the foreign ruler, and a foreign religion, the continuity
stolid figure of the conductor holding a tasseled of the traditions of tomb design within Hebei
baton. Since these two large painted stone reliefs province is readily apparent. Another orchestra,
are the centerpieces of the decor in the coffin composed of slender Song ladies, was found in a
chamber, it is noteworthy that in each of them, one Northern Song tomb in Jiangjiagou village, Shanxi
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figure — here the conductor and, in the other, the province. Clearly, throughout much of northern
gesturing woman near the front of the group — is China, the afterlife was unimaginable without
turned quite dramatically, as if to engage the viewer music.
directly. This figure, in effect, directs all of the ac- One of the most impressive features of the
tivity depicted in the two compositions toward the Wang Chuzhi relief is its realistic representation
coffin of Wang Chuzhi, which presumably stood of musical performance. The craftsmen or artists
near the center of the room. "This music, these who designed the composition must have been
refreshments, are for you, Sir," these two figures familiar with musical concerts to have so success-
seem to say. fully conveyed the movements and gestures typical
The instrumentation in this female orchestra of performance. At top left, the two flute players
consists of two horizontal flutes, two vertical flutes, lean their upper bodies forward into the flow of the
two drums (one large, one small), a set of chimes music, their right elbows pulled sharply back. Below
(fangxiang), a pipe harmonica (sheng), a harp them, the drummer lifts her arm and prepares to
(konghou), a zither (zheng), a lute (pipa), and a set pound the large drum she steadies in her other
of clappers. These are the instruments seen in one hand. The hands of the harpist and zither players
combination or another in nearly all of the many move gracefully across their strings. The five wind
depictions of musicians from the tenth century. players appear poised to exhale; the two vertical
A much more informal band of female musicians, flute players stand very erect and straight, anchor-
playing five of these same instruments while drink- ing the swaying group with their firmly planted
ing wine, is seen in a painting contemporary with bodies. This representation's accuracy and sense of
the tomb of Wang Chuzhi, Palace Concert, by an un- animation are readily obvious when compared to
known painter of the Late Tang or early Five Dynas- any of the other aforementioned concert groups,
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ties period. The women in the painting share the none of which convey this vivid sense of observed
physical characteristics, hair styles, and costumes of characteristics.
the plump women in Wang Chuzhi's tomb. A similar Painted pictorial reliefs of this size and quality
group of substantial women appears in the band are virtually unknown in tomb designs of the pe-
of musicians illustrated in a handscroll copied after riod, although other examples of painted reliefs
the leading tenth-century master of such subjects, have been found in contemporary tombs. The tradi-
Zhou Wenju (/I. c. 940 - 975), whose activity and tion of stone carving was, of course, long-standing,
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fame in the southern Tang kingdom at Nanjing particularly in association with Buddhism. The
suggests that such orchestras continued to be a decor of Wang Chuzhi's tomb, however, makes it
form of national art even after China was divided clear that pictorial sculpture was reaching new
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into many small states and kingdoms. Testifying to heights of subtlety and sophistication by the early
the continuing need for music in the context of tenth century and was comparable in every way to

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