Life, death and the cosmos in the Han Dynasty

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Life, death and the cosmos in the Han Dynasty

This T-shaped silk painting, also known as "Feiyi," or "non-garment," is one of the most astonishing discoveries from the Mawangdui Han tombs in central China's Hunan Province. It depicts an end to which souls were believed destined. Measuring 205 centimeters in length, the painting is laid out in a distinctive T form and organized into three realms: the heavens above, the human world in the middle and the netherworld below. Most strikingly, the tomb occupant, an old woman holding a stick cane, was positioned at the center of the painting, poised to ascend towards the sky. In the funeral rites of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), this was no mere decoration but a central ritual object. The piece is now held in the Hunan Museum. It reveals how people imagined the soul's destination and the structure of the cosmos, making it a crucial piece of evidence for understanding Han views of life, death and the universe.

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