Our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

An afterlife concert

CGTN

An afterlife concert
An afterlife concert
An afterlife concert
An afterlife concert

The miniature figures below are yong – funerary objects made of pottery or wood, often fashioned in the form of humans or animals and intended to serve the tomb occupant in the afterlife. The most famous examples of these substitute attendants are the life-sized warriors of the Terracotta Army buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Domestic servants, including musicians and dancers like those shown here, also constituted a large share of such figurines. Unearthed from a Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) tomb, these figures offer historians a rare glimpse into the lives of aristocratic families more than 2,000 years ago.

Search Trends