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The overextension of the labor force
during the Qin Dynasty would result in a
popular uprising against the empire. In
206 B.C., Liu Bang, a Qin official, led
an army composed of peasants and some
lower nobility to victory and
established his own Dynasty in place,
the Han. However, unlike the Qin, the
Han would unify China and rule virtually
uncontested for over four hundred years.
It is during this time that much of what
is now considered to be Chinese culture
was first actualized. The bureaucracy
started under the Qin was now firmly
established. The vast lands of China
were now under the firm grip of a
central authority. Confucianism became
the state ideology although the worship
of Taoist deity remained widespread,
both among the peasants and the
aristocracy. Ancient histories and
texts were analyzed and rewritten to be
more objective while new legendary myths
and cultural epics were transcribed.
The Han era can also be
characterized as one of the greatest
artistic outpourings in Chinese history,
easily on par with the glories of their
Western contemporaries, Greece and Rome.
Wealth pouring into China from trade
along the Silk Road initiated a period
of unprecedented luxury. Stunning
bronze vessels were created, decorated
with elegant inlaid gold and silver
motifs. Jade carvings reached a new
level of technical brilliance. But
perhaps the artistic revival of the Han
Dynasty is nowhere better represented
than in their sculptures and vessels
that were interred with deceased nobles.
Called mingqi, literally meaning “spirit
articles,” these works depicted a vast
array of subject, from warriors and
horses to ovens and livestock, which
were buried alongside the dead for use
in the next world, reflecting the
Chinese belief that the afterlife was an
extension of our earthy existence.
Thus, quite logically, the things we
require to sustain and nurture our
bodies in this life would be just as
necessary in our next life.
The Han Dynasty, like the Zhou before
it, is divided into two distinct
periods, the Western Han (206 B.C.-9
A.D.) and the Eastern Han (23-220 A.D.)
with a brief interlude. Towards the end
of the Western period, a series of weak
emperors ruled the throne, controlled
from behind the scenes by Wang Mang and
Huo Guang, both relatives of empresses.
They both exerted enormous influence
over the government and when the last
emperor suddenly passed away, Mang
became ruling advisor, seizing this
opportunity to declare his own Dynasty,
the Xin, or “New.” However, another
popular uprising began joined by the
members of the Liu clan, the family that
ruled the Han Dynasty, the Xin came to a
quick end and the Eastern Han was
established in its place with its
capital at Loyang (Chang’an, the capital
of the Western Han, was completely
destroyed).
However, even as Chinese influence
spread across Southeastern Asia into new
lands, the Eastern Han Dynasty was
unable to recreate the glories of the
Western Period. In fact, this period
can be characterized by a bitter power
struggle amongst a group of five
consortial clans. These families sought
to control the young, weak emperors with
their court influence. Yet, as the
emperors became distrustful of the
rising power of the clans, they relied
upon their eunuchs to defend them, often
eliminating entire families at a time.
During the Western Han, the Emperor was
viewed as the center of the universe.
However, this philosophy slowly
disintegrated under the weak, vulnerable
rulers of the Eastern Han, leading many
scholars and officials to abandon the
court. Eventually, the power of the Han
would completely erode, ending with its
dissolution and the beginning of the
period known as the “Three Kingdoms.”
By the Han Dynasty, the custom of
burying objects with
the dead had become an established
practice among the Chinese people.
Representations of the imperial
officialdom were often cast in stone,
while clay models served the needs of
the lower stratum of ruling classes.
The clay figurines stood at
ground level, depicting scenes and
images of
ordinary life from a Confucian
moralistic point of view.
Based on the belief that the
spirit and vitality of the subjects were
embodied in the figurines, the burial
objects served an important role in the
ancestral belief system of ancient
Chinese society. Modeled in gray clay
with a covering of white slip and a
red colored body harness, this canine is
a fine representation of the
naturalistic style of Han burial art.
With
its head jetted forward, the dog snarls
exposing its large fangs and nostrils.
As it contracts its muscles, the
body stiffens, the eyes bulge and ears
stand on end, assuming a menacing yet
graceful pose.
The arches that form the line of
its massive neck, body and legs enhance
the attributes of this watch dog, whose
function it was to protect the burial
site of the deceased.
- (H.021)
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