Travel with Vehicles and Horses

Eastern Han (25–220). Mural painting in tomb of Han Dyansty, Horinger, Inner Mongolia Autonomous region.

In a large ancient tomb excavated in Horinger County of Inner Mongolia, the murals integrate a large number of figures and decorative patterns. Here, the aim of the painter is not to depict individual portraits of people in a realistic style, but to outline a pictorial representation resembling an "encyclopedia" using sketching techniques. Murals in the front chamber of the tomb depict the various stages of the tomb owner's life, including his travels in carriages and on horses. With the help of inscriptions, we can understand his career experiences. In essence, this is a visual biography of the deceased, praising his accomplishments and contributions in the earthly realm.

This piece is compiled from the Chinese edition of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting by Foreign Languages Press and Yale University Press, translated by Chen Ying.