Page 113 - China, 5000 years : innovation and transformation in the arts
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Kg. 17. Entertainment in the afterlife. Relief carving,
inside jace of facade-lintel of tomb at Cangshan,
Shandong Province. Mid-second century CE.
m
Fig. 16. Banquet in the afterlife. Relief carving, niche in Fig. 18. Driving outdoors in the afterlife. Relief carving,
east wall of main chamber of tomb at Cangshan, outside face offacade-lintel of tomb at Cangshan,
Shandong Province. Mid-second century CE. Shandong Province. Mid-second century CE.
learning. These and other such images entered the wives of the deceased are taking a boat across the
stock of funerary painting themes, persisting river, since female (yin) had to be separated from
male (yang) and water embodies the yin principle.
through Eastern Han. The world of the dead was
therefore continually enriched. At the same time The funerary procession continues on the east wall,
that new pictorial motifs were invented and its members limited now to the close family of the
integrated into tomb decoration, new art mediums deceased. The wives get into special carriages for
women and escort the hearse outside the city
were employed; burials embellished with stone bas-
reliefs or pictorial tiles became fashionable in the (fig. 15). Arriving at an inn, they are greeted by an
official. With its half-open door, this inn symbolizes
first and second century CE (cats. 103— 04). An the tomb: entering it symbolizes the burial of the
Eastern Han tomb often combined two- deceased and the beginning of his underworld life.
This is why, in the next scene, the deceased is no
dimensional pictorial images with sculptured spirit longer represented by a hearse but appears in
—articles often vivid miniature representations of human form as the honored guest at an elaborate
servants, dancers, storytellers, musicians, buildings, banquet. This "portrait," engraved in a special niche,
wells, pigpens, livestock, and household furnishings
announces his rebirth: having regained his human
and equipment of all kinds (cats. 96—102). desires, he is now living in his underground home.
The scenes that follow represent the fulfillment of
Scholars have tried to explore the symbolic all his desires in the afterlife. He is accompanied by
"program" constituted by the various forms of
the fairies called Jade Maidens (fig. 16); he is
Afunerary art found in a tomb. long inscription entertained by musicians and dancers (fig. 17); and
he takes a grand outdoor tour (fig. iS). These last
excavated recently in an Eastern Han tomb of the two scenes, engraved respectively on the inside and
mid-second century CE in Cangshan, Shandong outside faces of the tomb's facade-lintel, represent
the two major diversions that the tomb occupant
Province, describes the pictorial carving inside the would forever enjoy.
tomb in a coherent narrative.' 8 The writer begins The Cangshan tomb inscription provides a specific
his description with the rear chamber, which held
the physical remains of the dead person. The images vision of the reality of life after death, focusing on
carved in this chamber are all mythical: directional the soul's transformation and underground pleasure;
animals and heavenly beasts transform the solid pictures in some other Eastern Han tombs
stone room into a microcosm, while intertwining emphasize the social status and moral worth of the
dragons guard the entrance of the burial chamber deceased. Each pictorial program reflects the beliefs
to keep the corpse safe. The front chamber is
decorated with two horizontal reliefs on the lintels.
The first relief, on the west wall (tig. 14). shows a
chariot procession of local officials crossing a bridge-
over a river that symbolizes death; below them, the
REALITIES OF LIFE AFTER DEATH
