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Lady Dai's Tomb in Mawangdui

Samson Omondi Oriko

November 4, 2014

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Lady Dai's Tomb in Mawangdui

Lady Dai’s tomb in Mawangndui would be among three very historic tombs in Chinese

history whose discovery relates to early 1970s. These are in a hill in Changsha in, close to the

capital Hans’s dynasty in the Hunan Province of China. In specific terms, the tomb of Lady Dai

would have a banner shaped in the form of ‘T’ whose significance to the culture of the Chinese is

remarkable since they depict Chinese abstraction that regards to the cosmos and the afterlife

during the western Han Dynasty1. In fact the T-shaped funeral banner would not only exist in

Lady Dai’s tomb but perhaps in the husband’s who occupies tomb number one and whose

remains and every treasure therein would be stolen that only leaves Lady Dai’s tomb the only

one intact at the time of discovery. The banner would always be flown during a burial procession

and then buried in the tomb so that the spirits of the dead would be called back. According to

most scholars painting has three aspects and is with respect to the heavenly world, the human

world and the underworld but Silbergeld disagrees while writing in early China by challenging

the general acceptance that the banner image painting could be matched by texts. This argument

would results to a great disagreement in the picture reading. Jerome Silbergeld asserts that

interpretation of a painting with such keen craft would not be based only on literary sources and

texts that is widely distributed with one drawn from a particular source while the other from a

different source Wu Hang (1992). This banner would refer to the T-shaped flying garment and its

topmost horizontal partition symbolizes heaven whereas the bottom of its vertical partition would

symbolize the underworld and the middle partition would symbolize the earth. However, the

symbols that this banner on Lady Dai’s tomb relates to arguably many but not yet a

1 Wu Hung. Art in a Ritual Context: Rethinking Mawangdui. 17. Dec. 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23351522

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conclusive symbol in this respect, this paper therefore puts into perspective various

scholars perspective on the symbols that the T-shaped banner relates to that perhaps is

quite convincing.

Symbol of Heaven

The silk banner from Mawangdui tomb reflects a pictorial representation of cosmos. It is

Wu Hangs belief that the banner has four sections unlike other scholars’ belief that it actually has

three sections2. Here the topmost section symbolizes heaven. A Changhe represents heaven or in

particular the gates of heaven. On the guard and as a revelation from the artifact are two door

attendants and two leopards. The artifact depicts an identity with respect to the sun and moon.

These are the revelation of the heavenly representation as symbolized in the T-shaped Flying

banner of the Mawangdui tomb of Lady Dai. Alongside this deity, uncertain similarity is the

presence of a toad and a crow along with ten suns. In the pre-Buddhist mythology of the Chinese

culture these motifs appears in a number of times to symbolize heaven and since they are

prevalent in the T-shaped banner, they refer to a representation of heaven as a symbol in the

artifact. Other theories reveals that the red crow represents the sun since as the crow flies over

the bottom of the sea, a red glitter or brilliance drives away dark clouds.

The other symbol this banner depicts aside from the Red Crescent moon that represents

heaven, the twin male figures represents in a universal way as greater an even lesser lords of fate

that guards the fate of heaven. This symbol brings out clearly the ever interrelated and

continuous features of the Chinese cosmos. However most scholars universally agree that the top

2 Spiro Audrey, Contemplating the Ancients: Aesthetic and Social Issues in Early Chinese Portraiture, (California: University of

California Press, 1990), 287.

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part of the cross that has a T depicts heaven where the immortal beings come below and in

between the two orbs3. This red sun together with its symbols entails a raven on the right, and a

sylvan moon along with its symbol that entails a toad on the left side. These depictions suggest

that the Lady Dai awaits an ascent to heaven in which case, she might attain immortality4.

Unifying the completely case scenario is the heavenly dragons whose tails extends to the

underworld and heads in the heaven. This is a common point of argument to Silbegeld, Wu Hung

and Loewe, even though Jerome Silbergeld disagrees with many aspects common to these

scholars.

Portrait of Lady Dai Register

The portrait of the figure as identified in the first grave at Mawangdui is unanimously an

acceptable figure of Lady Dai who as been of the above discussion is presumably a member of

the nobility. This is an attribution to the fact that the quality of the silk painting on the T-shaped

flying banner that accompany her corpse, and the one on the nested coffin is a testimony enough

that the occupant is very rich and is of the noble background. In this aspects, scholars though do

not tell with certainty what the drawing on the silk banner symbolizes, it is a common agreement

among many that the drawings depicts a journey of a soul from its original earthly place to its

final resting place in paradise. A countess is an image recognizable here among many and stands

above the other five figures and at the topmost composition within the strip of the T-shaped

banner. This reveals an arrangement of the hair with jewels that accompany this hair design

3 Kleiner Fred, Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives, (New York: Cengage Learning, 2009), 234.

4 Spiro Audrey, Contemplating the Ancients: Aesthetic and Social Issues in Early Chinese Portraiture, (California: University of

California Press, 1990), 287.

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reveals someone from a noble family. Further, as Michael Loewa notes, such an arrangement of

hair design is an identifying factor of the nobility at this time5. In addition there is an elaborate

robe patterning with respect to this first figure as opposed to the plain garments that the

accompanying figures reveals and this points to the fact that she stands above the rest in the

social and wealth standings and a noticeable fine textiles buried in the coffin in which the figure

emanates from. There is evidence that the woman is aged as she leans on a staff. A common

point of agreement among many scholars is that a stick and a stool help the old and generally the

weak to support themselves. Scholar Wang Zhi idea in this regard is that as years progresses by

from fifty through to sixty and eighty years, one curries a staff in the home compound,

progresses to do this in the village, city and finally at eighty years old one does this in the Lord’s

court.

Banquet or Sacrifice Register

In the perspective of the banquettes of register, the three is a revelation of

personal effects in the three tombs that refers to the noble family in Mawangdui in China reveals

personal effects. In this aspect, Chinese would really believe in the life after death and inventory

of the burial objects that forms the standard documents for this journey to the afterlife. Inclusive

of this sendoff includes artifacts such as the first ever inc on bamboo and the fast ever

discovered teased fabric in the Guinness book of world record. The Mawangdui graves and the

artifacts in the is symbolically represented in the China Institute with rooms separated and

painted dark red and a tomb like in the climate controlled atmosphere. There is the part to the

left that reflects precious silk garment and bamboo texts that all refers to the surrounding of the

5 Spiro Audrey, Contemplating the Ancients: Aesthetic and Social Issues in Early Chinese Portraiture, (California: University of

California Press, 1990), 287.

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inner linings of Lady Dai’s coffin. To the right there are personal effects such as leisure food or

drinks. The tomb reveals a vessel of a lacquer-wear that still has a drink dregs or food. Also

notable is a pair of fingerless gloves and even booties that appears to be stained by Lady Dei’s

human flesh. This is evidence to the two millennia of fashion wear6. In this list are Lady Dei’s

personal effects such as cosmetic case with tweezers, a fine toothcomb, a dagger and perhaps a

perfume sachet. This aspect and revelation suggests that Lady Dai at the time is well prepared for

the journey as evident in the three hundred and twelve-bamboo slip tomb that among them,

twenty are on view. Here a banquette of rituals scene that includes seven male figures and a

number of lacquer as well as bronze ceremonial vessels, placed upon a white square that possibly

represents earth. According to Wu Hung Scene underneath the portrait depicts a sacrifice: Three

large tripods and two vases are displayed in the foreground; behind are five men in two opposing

rows raising their arms obediently toward the middle. However Silbergeld on the other hand

asserts that the philosophic view that these portraits depicts texts drawn from different sources to

imply a common interpretation is not a full representation of these artifacts main points of

interpretations. He however agrees with the rest that there ought to be a common symbolic

interpretation that depicts aspects of culture or status. In the ancient Han Dynasty, the philosophy

that defines death and in general separation of the all aspects of the soul from the body would be

a complex procedure. In its essence, the hun component leaves the carcass through the particular

heavenly realms to the world of immortals. In this aspect, the po must be separated and be

discouraged from abandoning the body through rituals and tomb replenishing with all manner of

material goods. This is the fundamental reason behind the artifacts and various precious objects

6 Barile Amanda, A pictorial comparison of Han China’s and Classical Athens’ Conception of the afterlife. 11. Jul. 2011. 17.

Dec 2014 https://www.mcgill.ca/classics/files/classics/2010-11-07.pdf

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as in the excavated tomb of Lady Dai in Mawangdui in the early seventies. These materials

include goods, earthly possessions that relates to the nobility level of the deceased and luxurious

funeral procession and food. Mingqi, the glorious vessels and precious objects carefully crafted

to accompany the burial. This is in a view to closely imitate life with all its aspects, servants, and

glazed earthenware farmyards, chiefs on the ready to serve as revealed by the submissive figures

in these tombs, musicians and eve courses. The Han’s ideologies of continuation of natural cycle

of predetermined paths for human with respect to human destiny. These would refer to the

artwork that depicts daily life that involves the simple tools that helps in the daily life chores like

pulleys7. In over two thousand one hundred years old Lady Dai remains, the most recent Chinese

corpse revealed to have a burial along with a thousand of these very precious immaculately well

preserved objects and artifacts. This reveals an ultimate cosmos life that evolves a round a low

table with servants around the table. The pottery food containers together with Bamboo that

refers to replica of servants a round the table, paints of wooden figures that stands in attendance

and surrounds Lady Dai’s clothing, which consists of single padded, double-layered and padded

robes, socks shoes and skirts. In addition to this is the suitcase packed and has exquisite fabrics.

These and the lacquers reveal the life of abundance of the deceased8. This is a symbolism to the

fact that the occupant of this tomb is of higher status. In this society of nobility, like the class to

which Lady Dai belongs would be the ones that would receive this kind of submission however it

is not a clear conclusion that these figures might be subjects to the throne or even servant in the

7 Amy Olberding and Philip Ivanhoe, Mortality in Traditional Chinese Thought, (New York: SUNY Press, 2012), 37

8 Hall Rebecca, Of Merit and Ancestors: Buddhist Banners of Northern Thailand and Laos, (Michigan: ProQuest, 2008), 17.

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perspective of a submissive parties. The surface or white square is interpreted as Lady Dai’s

coffin or couch where deceased is placed in the ritual.

Symbol for the Underworld

The T-shaped flying banner discovered at the Lady Dai’s Tomb in Mawangdui from

symbolizes a part from the heaven as depicted above, the underworld. At the very bottom of the

T-shaped banner is a representation of the underworld. This is due to the depiction of two giant

fishes that symbolizes water and this is perhaps the lord of the earth and a snake. In Chinese

cosmology, Wu Hung reveals that these are the symbols of the underground world. In the name

banner, this world symbolizes the existence of the lady Dai and her relatives alongside funerary

things that include the lady’s corpse covered in clothes of perhaps shrouds. In a similar realm,

the two worlds, the one for heaven and the underworld coexists. In this aspect, only if the living

relatives do proper sacrifices would the diseased soul have an eternal life in his permanent place

or home. In this aspect, the black symbolizes the underworld. In this land of netherland of water

creatures, consists of darkness, and place below the earth’s surface. In this depiction this is the

place where the souls goes through there initial metamorphism. This according to some scholars

like Taoist calls the tomb of the cosmos. Here dwell the yin symbols of female creation.

With the deepest section of the underworld, there exists water above which there are two

scenes that occurs on the surface of the earth. These depict the mortals acting parts in the

mourning rituals. Beneath is the existence is a holy personality to the left with in-attendance

closely seated behind the vessels of ritual to be of the sacrifices to the ancestors’ reverence. The

lower square is a depiction further of the animals that walk by the night such as owls, a large

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fish, a big snake and a tortoise, that represents the underworld9. The two intertwined fish at the

bottom of the T-shaped silk represents the world of water underneath with the tails of the two

dragons that appears from the great depths. These tails joins to the snakes that are on top of the

two large fish, that holds lofts an a floor with a scene that reveals the body of lady Dai on her

back and surrounded by a number of mourners.

From the observations made of the portrait about her posture, hair dress and clothing and

attributes, it is clearly that the portrait pertains to an elderly rich woman. From this scene and a

comparison of the size of this portrait to the other five subjects from this scene, this is a portrait

of the most important of all the portraits. These are with respect to the tomb at Mawangdui and

its content that excavation would reveal in the 1970s, the contents being a female corpse, with

autopsy results that the corpse must have been fifty years old. Consideration of the figures

relationship to the other figures, and just behind it and to its right, are three figures that echoes its

image or perhaps its profile. Scholars’ interpretation of these figures would be as females

alongside two male figures who seem to be attendants that kneel facing the countess in a manner

to provide food. Hairdo for women and caps for men perhaps are the factors that enable this

gender differentiation. In this respect, the slight inclination of the two subjects with folding on

their sleeves might reveal a sign of submission. This atmosphere is the one that exists only

among rulers and their subjects or between a servant and a master or mistress. This gesturing

leads to an assumption that the portrait, Lady Dei has a higher rank than the ones that attends to

her. These might be subjects of the younger members of the family. However it is worth noting

9 Ward Jean, The Times of Lady Dai, (Lulu.com, 2008), 5-45.

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that on the part of the one that submits this gesture of submission do not automatically mean they

are servants or a lower social standard. The two figures seated between the pillars also reveal the

same inclination and similar gesture in the horizontal part of the painting. Regardless of their

identities with respect to gender, they reveal their rank is superior to these other figures. Just like

in the same case with celestial, the standing of these two is higher than that of the countess,

because even as the countess rises in a journey up, even though she has risen higher, she is not

yet nears the celestial gates to effect its final transformation. Only the canopy separates countess

in her routes to the celestial and as such maybe bidding farewell to the earthly acquaintances, yet

even in the rise, her figure is still lower than the ones guarding the gates. In this respect, the

significance of the gesture lies in the fact that the same gesture is maintained by figures of both

the lower and nobler status10. Thus, it begs an assumption that the painting is a commissioned of

the diseased or perhaps by the remaining members of her family on her behalf, with the motive

that many people sees it during the funeral processional events and even other cultural rituals.

This assumption extends to the fact that this painting would be for the deceased, even if

its full extent refers to contemporary beliefs afterlife, and is clear from these specific submission

that this specifically relates to the corpse. This assumption gets further support from the

discovery of a third tomb at Mawangdui that reveals the remains of a man, even if the corpse is

broken, as the case would be for a male tomb11. Many invisible nonterrestial beings would also

see the painting, which is probably a representation of the fact that at the time of interment the

figure would be ready to get into paradise or just a hope that it happens. In all these perspective

what is clear is that Lady Dai is identifiable fro her portrait. This is perhaps because the portrait

10 Highan Charles, Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations, (New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009), 49.

11 Tseng Lilian, Picturing Heaven in Early China, (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011), 34

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displays most of her physical features, her nobility and status. If in a way she would be an

isolated depiction then this would only mean revelation to the gender, age and wealth, but in this

case in addition to all that there is a clear revelation of her status that refers to both social and

spiritual one and by far the relationship she has with respect to other figures that accompany her

portrait. The portrait of Lady Dai register is therefore a report of the celestial powers on the

standings of the lady while the wood documents in the tomb number three represents underworld

authorities on the interred other spiritual state components.

The T-shaped flying banner of Lady Dai’s tomb is therefore an aspect of the Han

Dynasty that is perhaps a strong culture in the belief in both the life before and after death. This

is a revelation in the painting in this fabric that in one perspective depicts a life journey into the

afterlife. Many scholars interprets the symbols associated with the banner in many ways but this

narrows down to common argument points such as the symbol associated to Heaven, the middle

life and the Underworld. In the heavenly perspective, it relates to the top of the T-shaped banner,

which depicts figures such as a crow, heads of the dragon and two guards that guards the gates of

the heaven12. These are the symbols among the ones that the painting depicts that symbolize

cosmos according to Chinese ancient philosophy. Underworld however refers to darkness and is

the deepest part of the sea as symbolized by the large fish, the tails of dragons that joins with two

large snakes and tortoise. Jerome Silbergeld argues that the represented artifacts in the tomb of

Lady Dai maintains that afterlife exists and if separated by ways of representations in a two

broader aspect of media, a three dimensional artifacts and surfaces that are painted which refers

to a tangible world and the one that is a virtual space. This implies that the artifact which entails

12Amy Olberding and Philip Ivanhoe, Mortality in Traditional Chinese Thought, (New York: SUNY Press, 2012), 37

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entertainment pieces, household goods, and even wooden statues of servants mostly reveals a

wealthy household.

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Bibliography

Hung Wu. Art in a Ritual Context: Rethinking Mawangdui. 17. Dec. 2014.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/23351522

Hall Rebecca, Of Merit and Ancestors: Buddhist Banners of Northern Thailand and Laos,

(Michigan: ProQuest, 2008), 17.

Highan Charles, Encyclopedia of Ancient Asian Civilizations, (New York: Infobase Publishing,

2009), 49.

Kleiner Fred, Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives, (New York: Cengage

Learning, 2009), 234.

Olberding Amy and Ivanhoe Philip, Mortality in Traditional Chinese Thought, (New York:

SUNY Press, 2012), 37

Spiro Audrey, Contemplating the Ancients: Aesthetic and Social Issues in Early Chinese

Portraiture, (California: University of California Press, 1990), 287.

Tseng Lilian, Picturing Heaven in Early China, (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011), 34.

Ward Jean, The Times of Lady Dai, (Lulu.com, 2008), 5-45.

Barile Amanda, A pictorial comparison of Han China’s and Classical Athens’ Conception of the

afterlife. 11. Jul. 2011. 17. Dec 2014 https://www.mcgill.ca/classics/files/classics/2010-

11-07.pdf

Chinese Culture.org, Relics from Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs.17. Dec. 2014.

http://www.chinaculture.org/classics/2007-10/24/content_121122_3.htm.