Han Tomb Fenghua

Tomb mural in the Han Dynasty was an important part of in Chinese painting history, as a special form of image representation, it played an irreplaceable role. Han tomb mural showed strong connection with temple mural and scroll painting in later generations, it can be treated as the source of the development and prosperity of Chinese painting. As an attachment to funeral architectural drawing, tomb mural artistic expressed functional and practical in funeral customs. Meanwhile, it embodied the ancient religious mysticism in art work. Benevolent immortal and auspicious beast of ancient myth in Han Dynasty has not completely replaced by a Taoist and Confucianism image, they carry the soul of dead and after death with imagination and hope, and also the unknown awe and fear of grace or scourge for living to the dead.Since Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism have not form solid foundation in the ideology of Chinese during Han Dynasty, mysterious ancient myths and legends of the plot and image occupied the major subject in the tomb mural, which is a distinct characteristic of later paintings. Moreover, only the wealthy and privileged entitled for the tomb mural in the tomb during Han Dynasty, the master of tomb expect both the joy of heaven and worldly pleasures at the same time, they require continuously goods and services from slave. Thus, after burying living human, clay doll and wooden puppet, tomb mural start to meet the master’s pleasure and desire. By showing hard work of bottom slaves, it is also where Traditional Realism starts in Chinese painting history.