Study About Secular Subjects Of Tomb Murals In Northern Song Dynasty In Henan Province

This paper firstly analyzes the increasing significant process of secular subjects of tomb murals, and then summarizes different emphasis in different periods of tomb murals. For instance, common subjects of tomb murals in pre-Han period and Han Dynasty are generally pertinent to celestial phenomena, propitious omen, fairy story, mythical story, while secular subjects are becoming more and more common from Wei-Jin Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, to Five Dynasties, focusing on ceremonial travel, royal venery, etc.What the subjects of tomb murals in Tang Dynasty intends to express is usually the tomb owners’accomplishment, social status, instead of family life. Family life does not occupy a central location until Song Dynasty, when we can find that husband and wife sit together for dining, enjoying feast, watching dancing performance, washing face, dressing up, serving inside bedroom, etc, all of which can be the first-hand materials for us to study social life in Song Dynasty.The second part of this paper takes Baisha No.l tomb in Song Dynasty and Heishan Village tomb in Dengfeng for example, summarizing and analyzing in detail some typical secular subjects, which includes subjects on preparing for feast, dancing, sitting face-to-face for dining, preparing for sleeping, serving bath, paying the rent, civilian travel, dressing up, opening doors by women, etc. The third part is actually the supplement of the second part, introducing some subjects of tomb murals in Song Dynasty which are not typical but lively and full of secular life.