Ancient Figurines

Most ancient figurines have come down as funerary objects. They have their origin in the institution of immolation or burying the living with the dead.Immolation was practised in the period of slavery. In 1950, excavations made of a Shang Dynasty (c. 17th- 11th century B.C.) aristocrat's tomb at Wuguan Village, Anyang, Henan Province, brought to light the remains of 79 slaves who had been buried alive with their dead master. Besides, in 27 pits arranged in rows in front and at the back of the tomb were discovered, buried en masse, the skeletons of 207 other slaves beheaded in immolation.The cruel custom of burying the living with the dead, though replaced by the burying of tomb figurines, lingered on and was practised in isolated cases under nearly every dynasty. In the Ming 1368-1644), according to contemporary notes, a human sacrifice was entertained o a sumptuous temple to meet his last lay before being led down to an underground temple to meet his horrible end. At the funeral of an emperor, palace maids were reportedly pushed, one after another, onto bed-like racks, and their heads into nooses, and were hanged after the racks had been removed. When Emperor Changzu of the Ming died in 1424, sixteen persons were buried alive with him. In the eastern and western "wells" on either side of the Changling Mausoleum the largest of the Ming Tombs) are the remains of his immolated concubines. After the Qin and Han dynasties, tomb figurines began to be used instead of human beings. And vast numbers of them, dating from the Warring States Period (475- 221 B.C.) down to the Ming (1368-1644), have been unearthed. They are of various descriptions but most are made of pottery and porcelain, next come wood and lacquer, and occasionally jade. They represent people of different status and walks---court officials, generals, cavaliers, attendants, musicians, dancers and acrobats. As a rule, they are nicely modelled in different postures, constituting a valuable part of China's ancient art. Jade figurines first appeared in China during the 8th to 3rd century B.C. A number of tiny jade figurines were unearthed in 1974 from a mausoleum of the ancient state of Zhongshan. Most of them appear to be females, though some are lads. They have their hair done up in buns on the head double buns for women and single one for the boys. They all stand, holding their hands before the chest. The females are clad in tight-sleeved dresses, buttoned down the middle, and chequered long skirts. The hairdo and costume must be true-to-life reproductions of those prevalent in Zhongshan at the time. The Qin (221-206 B.C.) and Han (206B.C.-220 A.D.) dynasties are noted for the high quality and large numbers of pottery figurines they produced. In 1974 the famous terracotta warriors and horses of Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor of the Qin) were discovered just east of his mausoleum. The excavation is still going on, and Vault No.1 alone is expected to yield 6,000 of them. The life sized figures of men and horses are in neat battle formation, with the men holding real bronze weapons of the time and reflecting the formidable might of the legions of the First Emperor. In the winter of 1980, another valuable find was made to the west of the mausoleum. Two bronze carriages, standing one behind the other, were discovered. Each was drawn by a team of four bronze horses and driven by a driver, also made of bronze. All figures are half life-size, weighing a total of 1,800 kilogrammes. They are the earliest, largest, most elaborate and best-preserved models of ancient bronze carriages, complete with animals and drivers, ever found in this country. Each discovery at and near the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum has caused-and will cause--a stir among archaeologists the world over. Han Dynasty figurines show clear influences of the Qin, but are smaller in size. An impressive discovery was made a few years ago in a Han tomb at Yangjiawan, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province of a total of 3,000 painted pottery figures. Most of the standing figurines represent warriors, and some of them are equestrians. Compared with the human figures, the horses are more expressive: some stand quietly and others rear up with an unheard neigh. They must be truthful portraits in sculpture of the foot and mounted troops of the Han Dynasty. With the flourishing of ceramics during the Tang, Song and Ming dynasties (10th- 17th century), the tomb figurines of this long period are mostly glazed pottery and porcelain, among which the "tri-coloured glazed pottery of the Tang" is world-famous. Out of the ancient tombs or Xi'an and Luoyang have been unearthed many colour-glazed females, horses and camels. Noteworthy especially are the pottery camel drivers with their deep-set eyes, protruding noses and hairy faces, evidently Central Asians who plied the Silk Road with their caravans. The "tri-coloured Tangs" represent in effect a special handicraft art catering solely to the funerary needs of the aristocracy at the heyday of China's feudalism. Wooden figurines have a much longer history which extends back to the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). They have been found in many ancient tombs of different ages and in different localities. The tomb of Zhu Tan, prince of Lu (the tenth son of the founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming), situated in Zouxian, Shandong Province, yielded in 1974 a total of 406 painted wood figures in the formation of a long funeral procession. It consists of three parts: musicians leading in front, followed by attendants and military officers in the middle, and civil officials .bringing up the rear. The figures--a sculptured model of an early Ming(2nd half of the 14th century) funeral-are on display in the Provinical Museum of Shandong in Jinan. Some wood figurines have been found in the Dingling Mausoleum of the Ming Tombs. They are few in number and crude in workmanship, showing that wood figures were already going out of vogue towards the end of the dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911), paper figures appeared; they were not buried with the dead but were burnt at funerals to follow the dead to the nether world. After the fall of the Qing, tomb figures have fallen completely into disuse.China Travel website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. 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The Chinese Grandfather Chair

The taishiyi means literally the "Imperial Rector's chair" but has been loosely called by some old-time Western residents in China the "grandfather chair". It is different from its Western counterpart in that it is not upholstered but made of hard wood and with a straight back and arms. Rector's chaffs of various descriptions can still be seen in the imperial palaces and the mansions of former courtiers and officials. They can also be found in some old families among the people.The name for the chair first appeared at the end of the Northern Song in the 12th century. A man, in order to please Qin Hui, the powerful and traitorous prime minister and Imperial Rector, presented to him a roomy, cross-legged chair specially made with a head-rest that resembled a lotus leaf, which he named the "Imperial Rector's chair". The novel design of the chair became the fashion among the upper strata of the Song officialdom, and the name stuck.Down in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Rector's chair was reshaped, with its back and arms forming a semicircle.The "grandfather chairs" commonly seen today are mostly handed down from the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). With the armrests at right angles and with the back, they are generally made of rosewood, red sandalwood or padank and often inset with marble bearing beautiful natural veins. In south China, some of the chairs may have seats woven with rattan skin for greater coolness.As a rule, grandfather chairs are large in size, and in a saloon they are normally arranged in pairs with a teatable in between, creating a stately atmosphere.The cross-legged chair of the Song, the semicircular chair of the Ming and the straight-backed armchair of the Qing, though different in shape and structure, are all called "Imperial Rector's chairs". They were made at the beginning for eminent officials, so they have always been reserved as the seats of honour for important visitors. When historical plays are staged, one of the indispensable props of certain scenes is the grandfather chair to highlight the features of the age.China Travel website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. China has rich culture and history.Luxurious Guilin Hotels, Holiday Villages, folk travel will cater the foreigners many ideal accommodations.As well as Yangshuo China Tours Guide information: the world fairyland; Chinese culture, with a long history. Yangshuo Attraction, Guilin Attraction guide, China Attraction guide, Chinese history and culture exhibition, all beautiful China hills and water, and Yangshuo China Hotels.Guilin not only has beautiful scenery and human sites, but also has diversity of folk culture. It will show you rich Yangshuo Tour Packages, furthermore, provide Chinese medicine, kongfu and paintings and other Guilin Tours. for the foreign friends who love the Chinese culture.Guilin Travel make you a taste of a long history and colorful culture of the people style, and hill and water sceney harmony grade of city or style,To meet the modern needs of diversified tourism. So don't miss this great opportunity to experience the natural beauty and unique folk-customs of Guilin in person.Besides, If you want to know more information about traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese Medicine . So TCM can Prevent and Treat many chronic diseases, click it the benifit a lot.

The Sacred Way and Stone Statues

In the front part of imperial necropolises there is usually a "sacred way" or "divine road" for the spirits of the royal dead--in which the ancients believed-to alk on. This road is often lined with stone statues of men and animals as important decorations of the grounds. The traditional name for the giant-sized statues of men, popularly called stone men", is strictly wengzhong. It is said that a herculean giant by the name of Ruan Wengzhong lived in the Qin Dynasty 221-206 B.C.) and distinguished himself with great service in garrisoning the borders in Gansu and in fighting the Huns. After he died, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, to commemorate him, had a bronze statue carved in his likeness and erected at his palace in Xianyang. It is also said that, when Huns came to Xianyang and saw the statue, they thought Wengzhong was still alive. After that, all bronze men (and then stone statues) standing guard at palaces and imperial tombs came to be known as Wengzhong.As for the stone animals, they have their origin in the following historical event: Huo Qubing (140-117 B.C.) was a young military genius in the period of the Western Han. Distinguished in archery and horsemanship, he became an imperial attendant at age 17 and was several times sent on expeditions under his uncle Wei Qing, a famous commander, to fight the marauding Huns. He was given a command himself at 19 and twice led government forces to what was present-day Gansu and dealt telling blows to the Huns. He died at the age of 23 only. Emperor Wudi built for his beloved young general a magnificent tomb at Maoling and, to perpetuate the fame of his exploits in the northwest, had the mausoleum grounds landscaped like the Qilian Mountains where the battles had been fought. And as the mountain range is marked by rugged rocks that resemble wild beasts, so Huo's tumulus was strewn with grotesque rocks; furthermore, masons building the tomb sculptured many stone statues of animals—leaping and squatting horses, resting tigers, kneeling elephants, piglets and fish, bears and other wild beasts preying on sheep...Of the sculptures, the most renowned is one showing a Hun under the hoof of a galloping horse, a work of art aptly summing up the achievements of the young general in his meteoric career.The group of statues are the earliest giant-sized stone sculptures known to stand in front of an ancient tomb in China.Emperors in later epochs, taking their cue from this, had stone men and animals made for their own tombs, and they are now a common sight to greet visitors to imperial mausoleums of the Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties.The group of giant stone figures that stand on the grounds of the Ming Tombs near Beijing are the best preserved, the most true-to-life and most skillfully carved of their kind.Erected where they are in A.D. 1435 (or the 10th year of the reign of the Ming Emperor Xuande), they consist of 12 human figures (civil and military officials and courtiers with meritorious records) and 24 animals (lions, camels, xiezhi, elephants, qilin, and horses--four of each, two standing and two squatting). The human figures were meant to imply firm and popular support to the imperial house, while the animals in different postures signified alternate day and night services to the dead monarchs.Besides, different animals had each their symbolic significance: The lion, ferocious in nature and lording it over the animal kingdom, symbolized awesome solemnity.The camel and elephant, being dependable means of transport in the deserts and tropics, put together at the imperial tombs, were meant to suggest the vastness of the territory controlled by the court.The xiezhi, a mythological unicorn which was supposed to possess a sixth sense to tell between right and wrong and which, when two men were embroiled in a fist, would gore the wicked one, was put there to keep evil spirits away.The qilin, one of the four "divine animals" (the other three are dragon, phoeix and tortoise), was represented at the tombs as an auspicious symbol.The horse, being the emperor's mount on many occasions, was of course indispensable.China Travel website will lead you to discover symbolized Silk Road Tours, unique ice-covered Tibet Tours, magnificent Yangtze River Tours…It will introduce the famous traveling city Guilin and Yangshuo which the scenery is second to none in guilin. 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