The period of Liu Qi the Emperor Jing of Han (188-141 BCE) and his father Liu Heng the Emperor Wen of Han was generally eulogized as the “Rule of Wen and Jing” by the historians. In the early days of Han dynasty, society and economy were still mangled by the wars that began in the previous Qin dynasty and ended with the establishment of Han dynasty. As recorded in the “Treatise on Food and Merchandise” of The Book of Han, the economic condition was dire indeed: “People lost their jobs and a great hunger prevailed. A stone of rice cost five thousand. People ate each other and more than half of the population died. Emperor Gao of Han allowed people to sell their own children and leave for Shu and Han to find a living.” By the efforts of Emperors Wen and Jing, the economy was much recovered in the ensuing period of Emperor Wu: “Common citizens had sufficient means of life. Storehouses in urban and rural areas were all full. Government treasury had surplus wealth. In the capital, cash was accumulated in millions, a lot of which too rotted to account for. Millet in the official warehouses had been stored for too long that these crops were spilt outside, too decayed to be edible.” The entire country was in a rich and peaceful status unseen before.

Other than the economic recovery, the period of Wen and Jing was also underlined by the distinctive political thought that informed its governance. The Han government after the Emperor Wu was thoroughly guided by Confucianism. Prior to the comprehensive onset of Confucianism, however, the Wen-Jing governance was based on the Taoist thoughts of Huandi and Lao-tzu and thus became an idiosyncratic phase in Han history, with the emphasis on the unchanged continuation of policies and on the decrease of governmental interference. The aim was to lessen citizen’s duties and allow everyone to recover. For example, the land tax on agricultural production was reduced to a rate of one-thirtieth of crop yield.

　　To understand the society in this period, we can turn to the burial pottery figures found in the Yang Mausoleum of Emperor Jing, located in the north of today’s Xian City, Shaanxi Province, and is presently the most thoroughly excavated among all the mausoleums of Western Han emperors. These figures reflect the society in which, shedding the complicated policies and severe punishments of the previous Qin dynasty, the political and legal system provided not only physical richness but also spiritual liberation. In terms of the production style, the terra-cotta soldiers of Qin Shi-huang were life-sized and magnificent; the pottery figures of Emperor Jing were only one third in size of their Qin counterparts, created in softer lines and generally with richer facial expressions, mostly a mystical smile on the face. Other than the standing posture, these figures were also sculpted in other postures like walking, looking upward or downward.

　　As for their subjects, the Han figures had a wider range than that of the Qin dynasty. Among the human figures, we see female and eunuch, both unseen before. Among the livestock figures, we see a large number of dogs, horses, pigs, chicken, oxen, and goats, all done in a polished and appealing design. Other excavated items include pottery storehouse, tile ends, food utensils, decorations, lamps, etc. These artifacts illustrate the progress of technology and the comfort of life in Han dynasty.

　　This exhibition of Han burial figures and other artifacts shows a gentle and unaffected grace of Han culture. Students can see physical manifestation of historical textbooks while creative workers of cultural industry can find their inspiration. In cooperation with the UDN Group, Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, Hanyangling Museum, the National Museum of History selected more than 200 sets of artifacts, simulated the excavation site of the Yang Mausoleum as well as daily life scenes of Han dynasty, and present this exhibition to the public. Hopefully, every art lovers will make the best of this rare chance to see this exhibition, and the Museum welcomes any comments and feedbacks.