Right after he unified China in 221 BC, Emperor Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty ordered construction, simultaneously, of an imperial palace and a tomb for himself. According to historic records, the underground part of the tomb resembles the real world in minute details while a
treasure house of pearls and precious stones. A large number of stone statues of court ministers and generals accompany the dead emperor in the tomb chambers. Fish oil lamps light the chambers, and the ceiling of the main chamber is engraved with a chart of the celestial body
while the floors feature "rivers" -- in fact ditches filled with mercury. The gate is fitted with a complicated mechanical device by means of which arrows are released the moment a tomb robber breaks in.
The tomb has never been opened. The part of the tomb on the ground, however, is still there, a pyramid-like earthen mound 42 meters high, with a flat top and four sides measured at 350 meters each. The mound is enclosed in two rectangular walls, one within the other, the inner wall being 2,500 meters in circumference and the outer wall, 6,500 meters. Through excavation of the tomb site since the 1980s, archeologists have unearthed thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and battle steeds, as well as bronze chariots. The underground "army", supposedly to guard the tomb, consists of foot soldiers, archers, crossbow men and cavalrymen, all "battle-ready" but with different facial expressions. Each human figure consists of seven parts – the head, hands, body, legs, etc., which were produced separately, through an elaborate process of clay sculpturing, firing, coloring and assemble.
The part of the terracotta "army" is already great enough to constitute a cultural wonder of global dimension even though only a few of the pits for burial objects have been excavated. Moreover, these are outside the tomb, in the area for burial objects. We are justified to imagine that if opened, the tomb, built by some 700,000 workmen, will turn out to be the world's greatest museum of cultural wonders.
The succeeding Han Dynasty attached no small an importance to building of tombs and mausoleums, which are, nonetheless, guarded by statues of real and legendary animals if the occupiers were important enough. One example is the tomb of Huo Qubing, a brilliant soldier under Emperor Wu Di (156-87 BC) of the Han Dynasty. At 18, Huo already distinguished himself for bravery in battles in defense of the country's northern borders. After he tied at 24, the emperor, in recognition of his military exploits, ordered 14 stone statues to be placed in front of his tomb, including oxen, horses, elephants, tigers, pigs, fish, plus a human figure holding a bear in his arms. These statues are superb artworks, succinct in style while beautifully shaped.
In front of some Han tombs, stone structures known as que can still be seen. A que is a stone watchtower with two columns supporting a roof resembling a real roof of timber. The dynasty's wooden structures have all perished, hence the importance of those stone structures to our study of China's architectural art in the dynasty that ruled some 2,000 years ago. Two such towers are
placed in front of the tomb, at the entrance of the tomb area. Behind the watchtowers are stone statues standing on both sides of the divine boulevard.
None of the known imperial tombs of the Han Dynasty has been excavated, but those tombs belonging to imperial princes that have been opened may serve to show us how the inside of an imperial tomb looks like. The burial chamber is rectangular, and a large tomb usually has several inter-connected chambers with walls and floors built with bricks or polished stone. Tombs of the early Han period have ceilings of large bricks or stone slabs. Tombs of the late Han period, however, feature vaults built with layers upon layers of bricks.
Relieves are often done on stones and bricks in Hart tombs. Some of the relieves picture animals and plants by employing simple, crude lines. There are also relieves painstakingly done to depict the life of the tombs' occupiers in the real world -- banqueting, hunting, travels, collecting rent, etc. Sowing, harvesting, salt producing etc. are also themes of Han Dynasty relieves on bricks and stone. While succinct in style, the images are highly impressive. Horses, for example, can be pictured as standing, neighing or galloping through use of a few simple lines. While highly valued art objects, the stone and brick relieves left over from the Han Dynasty provide ample material evidence to study of the ancient Chinese people and society. |
