New Archaeological and Art Discoveries from the Han to the Tang Period in Shanxi Province

By Zhang Qingjie

Nomad on horseback From the tomb of Heba Chang, Taiyuan, Shanxi province Northern Qi period (550-77) Pottery Height 25 cm, length 22.5 cm

Since 1995 archaeologists in Shanxi have surveyed and excavated several sites and burials from the Han (206 BCE-CE 220) to the Tang (618-906) period. Works of art are an important component of these discoveries. Recent finds include sculptures, stone carvings, murals and paintings, the best of which are discussed in this article. In 1997, a stone-and-brick tomb from the Eastern Han period (25-220) was excavated in Shipan village, west of Lishi. Nineteen blocks of reddish-brown sandstone slate with illustrations were discovered. These were carved in relief and outlined in black ink. A variety of images and decorative motifs are featured, including a procession of carriages and horses, Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West), Dongwanggong (King of the East), door-keepers brandishing fly whisks and holding shields, the Red Bird (zhuque), pushou (door-handle) beast-heads holding large round discs in their mouths, a decorative motif comprising ropes threaded through discs, horses, oxen, chariots, demigods with ox and rooster heads, and prized `heavenly steeds' (Wang Jinyuan, 2000). A tomb with murals belonging to the early Northern Wei period (386-534) was also discovered in Datong, the site of Pingcheng, the Northern Wei capital for almost a century. Many tombs were built in Pingcheng and the surrounding area during its tenure as the capital. These included the Prince of Danyang's multi-chambered tomb in Huairen county which was excavated in 1995. Although Wei shu (History of the Wei) does not mention this individual, the occupant was identified by the words `Danyang Wang' which were found inscribed on a brick. The tomb was emptied at an early date and has largely been destroyed, but a small number of murals in the passageway have survived, making the reasonably well-preserved military general in Figure 1 a rare and valuable find. In 1997, in the course of archaeological work which had been coordinated with city construction in Datong, a salvage excavation was undertaken at a Northern Wei tomb in Zhijiapu in the southern suburbs of the city. A stone sarcophogus was discovered, decorated with vibrantly colourful paintings on all four sides and the lid (Wang and Liu, 2001; see also Wu Hung's article in this issue). Pigment and ink had been directly applied to the smoothed stone surfaces. The subject matter of these paintings is very rich; the most striking image is a tableau on the northern wall (Fig. 2). A group of nine, all dressed in Xianbei costume, include the tomb occupant and his wife seated on a divan in the centre looking towards the entrance of their tomb. Three attendants partly obscured by a screen stand behind them; the couple are flanked by four more attendants, two males on the tomb occupant's side and two females on the consort's. There were also depictions of a bullock-drawn carriage, an equerry leading a horse, the tomb occupant and his wife, servants and attendants, feathered immortals, luxuriant garden scenes and honeysuckle floral motifs. These paintings provide invaluable insights into Northern Wei society and its art before the capital was moved to Luoyang. In the summer of 2000, the Shanxi Institute of Archaeology and the Datong Institute of Archaeology joined forces to excavate a group of eleven Northern Wei tombs threatened by extension work at the Yanbei Teacher's College in Datong (see articles by Liu Junxi and Li Li, and Wu Hung in this issue). An inscription in Tomb 5 revealed that it had been constructed around `the first year of the Taihe reign of the Great Dynasty' (477) (Shanxi Sheng Kaogu Yanjiusuo and Datong Shi Kaogu Yanjiusuo, 2001). A stone sarcophogus (guo) was found in a rear chamber off a corridor at the front of the tomb. The four outer walls of the enclosure are carved with pushou motifs, while three of its inner walls - left, rear and right - are painted with murals. Unfortunately as the murals were directly painted onto stone without an underlay, they have faded due to water seepage over the course of time; only black outlines and red pigment used to colour the clothing can still be seen. On the left inner wall five people in Chinese-style long tunics with wide sleeves and crossover collars can be seen dancing and leaping. On the rear wall facing the viewer, are two middle-aged males of Han nationality with plump faces seated on a mat and playing musical instruments. The smiling musician on the left plays a zheng positioned across his knees, and the bearded musician on the right looks towards his partner as he strums a yueqin set upon his knees (see fig. 3 in the article by Liu Junxi and Li Li in this issue). The mural on the right wall is practically indistinguishable but the outlines of an old man seated on a rock and a kneeling figure below may be discerned. The murals, which must be in a style popular in the Pingcheng district, possess many characteristics associated with paintings of the Wei-Jin period. During the summer of 1999, Shanxi archaeologists excavated the Sui dynasty (581-618) tomb of Yu Hong in Wangguo village in the Jinyuan district of Taiyuan (Shanxi Sheng Kaogu Yanjiusuo, Taiyuan Shi Kaogu Yanjiusuo and Taiyuan Shi Jinyuan Qu Wenwu Luyou Ju, 2001). They found a sarcophogus of white marble shaped to resemble a Chinese building (xieshan). There were painted relief carvings on its interior and exterior walls, comprising more than fifty individual scenes of banquets, music and dance performances, hunts, domestic life and travels. With their high noses and deep-set eyes, the figures in these scenes look Caucasian. Garments, drinking vessels, musical instruments, dancing and even the flora in the painting have their origins in Persia or Central Asia. There are also decorative elements such as ribbons hanging off the beaks of birds and on horses, dancers performing the `Sogdian whirl' (huxuan wu), serrated pennants and tents, some of which have Zoroastrian associations. The subject matter suggests that the sarcophoagus is highly representative of Central Asian art in China, and is therefore of great significance to the study of Zoroastrianism and the art and culture of ancient Serindia. The rear wall of the sarcophogus is made up of several illustrated panels. On the eastern side is a depiction of riders on horseback hunting lions (Fig. 3). On the western section is a man on an elephant slaying a lion (Fig. 4). The largest illustrated panel is 96 centimetres high and 100.15 centimetres long, and is found in the centre facing the entrance. This feasting scene also contains the greatest number of figures (Fig. 5). A couple, probably husband and wife, are seated on a platform in front of a large marquee. The man wears a cap, while the woman has a decorative head-dress. They face each other holding wine glasses as if offering a toast. Two female attendants stand in waiting by the woman's side, and two male attendants are on the man's. Seated in front of the master, mistress and servants are six male musicians, three to either side, and in the space between them a male dancer performs the Sogdian whirl (Fig. 5a). Finely carved musicians and dancers are also found on the seat of the enclosure (Fig. 6). Carvings and illustrations from the Tang period have also been discovered. The tomb of Xue Jing, found south of Huangfu village in Wanrong county, was excavated in the autumn of 1995. The epitaph clearly states that the occupant died on the seventh day of the twelfth month in the eighth year of the Kaiyuan reign (720) and was `buried in Gushan at Wanquan' the following year. A bluestone sarcophogus shaped like a Chinese hall was placed on the western side of the tomb chamber. Images of attendants, windows and doorways could be found on the slabs which formed the interior and exterior walls of the sarcophogus, and the supporting columns were decorated with various plant and animal designs. The lines of these carvings are fluid and lively. The standing attendants on the walls are particularly striking. Nineteen are women, shown either with their hands clasped, or with fans, bowls, caskets, cloth-wrapped gifts or lotus blossoms (Shanxi Sheng Kaogu Yanjiusuo, 2000). Their lissom frames complement their delicate features. The maid holding a flower is a vivacious portrait of human interaction with nature (Fig. 7, left). Depicted in three-quarter profile, she wears a chignon dressed with traces of jewellery. Her long skirt is tied at the lower bodice and long swathes of cloth drape down from her shoulders, while her right hand is hidden behind a shawl. Her raised left hand holds an opening lotus blossom above which a butterfly hovers in dancing flight. As she leans slightly forward, her eyes appear to be following the path of the butterfly. The generous proportions of another maid encapsulate the feminine ideal of the period (Fig. 7, right). Her hair is combed into a tight bun, her plump face complemented by arched eyebrows, phoenix eyes and a small pursed mouth. Voluptuousness is suggested by the low collar, broad sleeves and loose bodice of her gown. The upright oval fan in her hand is suggestive of her purity and elevation beyond the mundane world.

Many splendid examples of ancient calligraphy have also been discovered in recent years, of which Nanxun bei (Stele of the Southern Expedition) by the Northern Wei Emperor Wencheng (Tuoba Jun, r. 452-65) is a representative example (Fig. 8). Although the stele is fragmented, more than 2,600 characters have survived, the only contemporaneous record of what was in fact an exodus of major proportions in which the Tuoba Xianbei ruler led his people from Pingcheng to the new capital of Luoyang to assume his historical role as a Chinese emperor. The stele is an invaluable source for researching the ethnic acculturation that this emperor fostered, as it records the titles of early Northern Wei officials long lost from the historical record (Shanxi Sheng Kaogu Yanjiusuo and Linqiu Xian Wenwu Ju, 1997). From the viewpoint of the aesthetics of calligraphy, the kaishu (regular script) is an excellent example of the script in its infancy. Vigorously rendered with the brush method of lishu (clerical script), the increased use of angular brushstrokes is indicative of a transitional style. The flow of the brush is natural and the characters are imbued with an air of austerity and antiquity. The components of each character are joined in a manner which is tight above and relaxed below, creating a paradoxical effect at once flowing and solid. Many works of art were recovered from the recent archaeological digs. Objects have included fine architectural models, building components, figures, stone artefacts and gold and silver wares. For example, the excavations at the Yanbei Teacher's College yielded more than 300 articles. There were painted pottery figures of various persons and tomb guardian beasts, jars and vases, lacquer trays, silver bracelets, iron mirrors, amber jewellery and pottery models of bullock-drawn carts, felt tents, oxen, horses, camels, tigers, pigs, sheep, kitchen ranges, mills and mortars, as well as stone lamp bases and inscribed tomb bricks. A group of eight pottery acrobats from Tomb 2 is particularly striking (Fig. 9). The figures are adult males with thick-set bodies and slightly drooping bellies. They wear round-peaked caps with a flap of cloth hanging from the back. All have fleshy faces and bulbous, deep-set eyes above their high noses. Beardless and faintly smiling, they project a pleasant demeanour. They wear long black boots and floral gowns with round collars and narrow sleeves held by red belts. Six of them seem to be applauding and expressing their delight at the performance in different ways; some with hands before their chests, and others with upraised arms. One figure has a hand in front of his mouth, as if in an attitude of rapt attention. The leading performer of the troupe is quite distinctive; measuring about 26 centimetres in height, he has a strong body and is taller than his companions. Leaning slightly, his legs are bent and apart, as if summoning up all his bodily strength. His left hand is behind his body and his right supports the bamboo pole balanced on his forehead. Two figures on the pole are perform an acrobatic routine known dingzhu. Two ceramic models of felt tents were excavated from these tombs - one is square with a rounded top that slopes at the front and rear and the other is round like a yurt (see figs 11 and 12 in Liu Junxi and Li Li's article). The square tent has two sky vents and a rectangular window set to one side of the entrance. There are many textual references to tents in China, as relations between the inhabitants of inner China and the nomads were very close, but these examples are the first material evidence of the concurrent existence of the two tent types, thus providing a valuable visual insight into nomadic living. There is also a distinctive figure of a dancer captured in the moment of performance (Fig. 10). The dancer wears a hat with a cross at the front and a flap behind, a choker and a gown with a crossover collar, narrow sleeves and a long skirt. He has a long round face with gentle eyes and lips slightly opened in a smile; the prominent nose and large ears give the face a youthful and sensuous appearance, strikingly similar to contemporary Buddhist figures in the Yungang caves. However, unlike Buddhist figures, which are often in repose, there is a sense of movement suggested by the dancer's light, flying sleeves. In 1998, a damaged tomb dated to the sixth year of the Yanxing period (476) was excavated in Yanggao county. A group of ceramic figures and an unusual tombstone were discovered. The colourful painted pottery figures were seated musicians, not unlike those found at the Yanbei Teacher's College site, but the tombstone was of a type rarely seen (Figs 11 and 11a). The finely carved trapezoid brick had been split in two. Its smoothened sides and surfaces have been polished to a whitish gleam. The surfaces have borders about three centimetres wide, along the length of which is a saw-tooth pattern. The surfaces and borders on both sections of the brick correspond with each other such that the upper part serves as a cover. The four-line inscription on the surface of the lower section reveals that this is the epitaph of Lady Liu, wife of the `ministerial magistrate of Anrong county, Chen Yongbing'. In recent years a large number of Northern Qi (550-77) tombs have been excavated in Taiyuan. Among the many exquisite items recovered is a pottery equestrian from the tomb of Heba Chang (Fig. 12) (Taiyuan Shi Kaogu Yanjiusuo, 2001). The round-headed rider is a nomad, plump with long hair braided into fifteen plaits flung behind his back. He wears an expansive red gown with narrow sleeves and a rounded collar. His feet are firmly planted in the stirrups; he holds the reins in one hand, and the other hand is raised to his mouth with two fingers positioned to let out a signalling whistle. The spirit in which he has been portrayed seems to evoke the vastness of the grasslands, as he gazes up oblivious to his surroundings, his whistle a mere musical statement. From behind one can see that his buttocks, thighs and podgy legs are clearly elaborated (Fig. 12a). Despite the circular volumetric forms, the figure as a whole has a sleekness of line that expresses an optimistic, wild and natural beauty. Four groups of cast iron oxen and human figures dating to the Tang period were found at the Pujin ford in Yongji (Figs 13 and 14) (see also Ann Paludan, `The Tang Dynasty Iron Oxen at Pujin Bridge', in Orientations, May 1994, pp. 61-68). Since the completion of excavation and restoration works in 1999, we have gained a deeper understanding of a difficult medium and a greater appreciation of their artistic significance. Despite weighing more than fifty tonnes each, the oxen appear strong and not heavy. Movement is subtly suggested by interlocking horns, intense staring eyes, flaring nostrils and ruminating mouths. Like paintings of oxen by the legendary painter Han Gan (c. 715-after 781), these sculptures have captured not only the outer form but also the inner spirit of the beast. Every one of the accompanying oxherds is different, reflecting the ethnic variety of China. The vigour and strength exuded by their bodies reflect the artistic levels achieved by the craftsmen and the technological attainments of iron casting during the Tang dynasty.