Author(s)

Huang Bin ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Humanities, Jishou University, Jishou City, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan, 416000, China

Corresponding Author

Huang Bin

ABSTRACT

Following the 2015 excavation of the Eastern Han mural tomb at Qushuhao in Jingbian, Shaanxi, academic attention has largely focused on its astronomical diagrams and themes of ascension to immortality, while the "auspicious beast" depicted on the western wall of the rear chamber has long been overlooked in specialist literature. According to the Excavation "Bulletin", the description of this image is brief and raises four points of contention: (1) the description of its form—"a dragon's head with ram's horns, a tiger's body, and a serpent's tail"—is inconsistent with the logic of Han-dynasty dragon depictions; (2) there are contradictions in the text and image annotations (the image is labeled "auspicious beast," yet the caption identifies it as a "White Tiger"); (3) key elements identifying the Vermilion Bird are missing; and (4) the presence of only a serpent's tail without a tortoise form contradicts the typical morphology of the Black Tortoise,which combines a tortoise and a serpent. This article aims to address the aforementioned issues and examine the true appearance and symbolic significance of this "auspicious beast."

KEYWORDS

Archaeology; Eastern Han Dynasty; Mural; Tomb art; Jingbian; Qushuhao

CITE THIS PAPER

Huang Bin. A Study on the "Auspicious Beasts" Depicted on the Lintel of the West Wall in the Rear Chamber of the Eastern Han Dynasty Murals Tomb at Qushuhao, Jingbian, Shaanxi. Lecture Notes on History (2026). Vol. 8, No. 1, 15-27. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/history.2026.080103.

REFERENCES

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