Talks by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
Tang stone epitaphs have been less well known than the preceding Northern dynasties (c. fifth cen... more Tang stone epitaphs have been less well known than the preceding Northern dynasties (c. fifth century) epitaph stones. In the early 1900’s, a Northern dynasty epitaph would fetch a price of several hundred gold pieces while in contrast Tang epitaphs were ignored or carelessly damaged. Even when the scholar Zhang Fang (1886-1966) recognized the value of Tang epitaph stone texts and created a repository for them in his home outside of Luoyang, he cemented them onto walls, thus obscuring the decoration on the sides and the stone’s original form.
Epitaphs carved for the deceased during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) were not one but two stones. The practice of the time was to hide the text, carved in stone, under a carved casket shaped stone cover inside the tomb at the time of burial. The implicit analogy identifies the concealed text praising the deceased with the similarly encased body itself.
Epitaphs have the function of promoting an embellished image of the deceased—to safe guard their reputation in posterity even in death so why hide it? This paper explores the apparent contradiction between form and function of the Tang epitaphs, through the analysis of a fragmentary text claiming that the epitaph was carved and buried so that the “dead could know their own name.”
Tang death rituals show that the Tang thought of their dead as crossing a boundary in burial and that sometimes in the crossing, the dead forget who they are. According to ritual writings only when grave goods are “hidden” is hidden in a decorated casket can the dead “read” it from beyond the great boundary. This is not superfluous; the dead read the epitaph to relearn who they are.
As bookends to the ritual, the epitaph stones encase the literary identity of the deceased while the stone sarcophagus encase the body of the deceased. Tang rituals underscore the similarity and contrast by placing the epitaph stones with the literary remains near the beginning of the funeral procession while the coffin containing the physical remains brings up the rear.
Presented in the 2012 CAA panel "Chewing on Words: Reconsidering Text in its Materiality," organized by Carol and Paul Emmons
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Papers by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
China Review International, 2012
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Archaeologists and historians have long taken the honor guards, vehicles, and horses along the sl... more Archaeologists and historians have long taken the honor guards, vehicles, and horses along the sloping path as clearly denoting the tomb occupant’s identity and status. Through the comparison of the same sloping path murals of three princesses, the paper assesses whether the tombs were controlled by ritual regulations or other factors. In other words, whether there is a relationship between the “procession” on the sloping path mural and the status/gender of the deceased. The paper proposes that tomb art does not in fact represent the identity of the deceased while living but rather represents the new identity of the dead. It furthers speculates on the relationship between the mural gures as honor guards and the clay gurines which are brought into the tomb during the time of the funeral as the real procession. Making use of textual descriptions of princess processions from Tang texts, close description of mural iconography, funerary rituals and processions, the paper concludes that the mural programs were primarily in uenced by locale, time, and political factors, and not ritual regulation or gender. In conclusion, the murals are compared to epitaphs, as both created a new identity and status for the deceased.
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On the ritual purpose of Tang tomb niches
Niches (xiao kan 小龕), spaces carved out of the earth o... more On the ritual purpose of Tang tomb niches
Niches (xiao kan 小龕), spaces carved out of the earth on either side of the underground tomb path, became very popular during the Tang dynasty. Textual sources tell us niches were invented for the practical purpose of creating more storage for excess funerary goods inside the tomb. The construction of elaborate niches and the purposeful placing of clay figurines and other objects in the latter half of the seventh century, however, show that niches were probably made for ritual purposes. They both symbolized the separation of the auspicious and inauspicious parts of the funeral procession and the particular status and circumstance of the deceased.
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Two styles are representative of Tang imperial tomb design--the "mountain" style exemplified by Z... more Two styles are representative of Tang imperial tomb design--the "mountain" style exemplified by Zhaoling (tomb of Taizong, r. 626-649) and the "royal progression" style exemplified by Qianling (tombs of Gaozong, r. 649-683, and Wu Zetian, r. 690-705). Zhaoling, evoking grandeur through an open landscape and more than 190 accompanying tombs of retainers and family members, is symbolic of Taizong as a patrimonial ruler, emperor of China, and qaghan over the nomadic peoples. Qianling, formalizing solemnity through spatial structuring and use of monumental stone sculptures in two straight lines along the spirit path, shows a distancing oft he ruler from his subjects and of the Li family from its Turkic-Xianbei roots. Qianling's royal progression tomb is especially important as it served as a model for later imperial tombs all the way to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).
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Book Reviews by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
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Talks by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
Epitaphs carved for the deceased during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) were not one but two stones. The practice of the time was to hide the text, carved in stone, under a carved casket shaped stone cover inside the tomb at the time of burial. The implicit analogy identifies the concealed text praising the deceased with the similarly encased body itself.
Epitaphs have the function of promoting an embellished image of the deceased—to safe guard their reputation in posterity even in death so why hide it? This paper explores the apparent contradiction between form and function of the Tang epitaphs, through the analysis of a fragmentary text claiming that the epitaph was carved and buried so that the “dead could know their own name.”
Tang death rituals show that the Tang thought of their dead as crossing a boundary in burial and that sometimes in the crossing, the dead forget who they are. According to ritual writings only when grave goods are “hidden” is hidden in a decorated casket can the dead “read” it from beyond the great boundary. This is not superfluous; the dead read the epitaph to relearn who they are.
As bookends to the ritual, the epitaph stones encase the literary identity of the deceased while the stone sarcophagus encase the body of the deceased. Tang rituals underscore the similarity and contrast by placing the epitaph stones with the literary remains near the beginning of the funeral procession while the coffin containing the physical remains brings up the rear.
Presented in the 2012 CAA panel "Chewing on Words: Reconsidering Text in its Materiality," organized by Carol and Paul Emmons
Papers by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
Niches (xiao kan 小龕), spaces carved out of the earth on either side of the underground tomb path, became very popular during the Tang dynasty. Textual sources tell us niches were invented for the practical purpose of creating more storage for excess funerary goods inside the tomb. The construction of elaborate niches and the purposeful placing of clay figurines and other objects in the latter half of the seventh century, however, show that niches were probably made for ritual purposes. They both symbolized the separation of the auspicious and inauspicious parts of the funeral procession and the particular status and circumstance of the deceased.
Book Reviews by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu
Epitaphs carved for the deceased during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) were not one but two stones. The practice of the time was to hide the text, carved in stone, under a carved casket shaped stone cover inside the tomb at the time of burial. The implicit analogy identifies the concealed text praising the deceased with the similarly encased body itself.
Epitaphs have the function of promoting an embellished image of the deceased—to safe guard their reputation in posterity even in death so why hide it? This paper explores the apparent contradiction between form and function of the Tang epitaphs, through the analysis of a fragmentary text claiming that the epitaph was carved and buried so that the “dead could know their own name.”
Tang death rituals show that the Tang thought of their dead as crossing a boundary in burial and that sometimes in the crossing, the dead forget who they are. According to ritual writings only when grave goods are “hidden” is hidden in a decorated casket can the dead “read” it from beyond the great boundary. This is not superfluous; the dead read the epitaph to relearn who they are.
As bookends to the ritual, the epitaph stones encase the literary identity of the deceased while the stone sarcophagus encase the body of the deceased. Tang rituals underscore the similarity and contrast by placing the epitaph stones with the literary remains near the beginning of the funeral procession while the coffin containing the physical remains brings up the rear.
Presented in the 2012 CAA panel "Chewing on Words: Reconsidering Text in its Materiality," organized by Carol and Paul Emmons
Niches (xiao kan 小龕), spaces carved out of the earth on either side of the underground tomb path, became very popular during the Tang dynasty. Textual sources tell us niches were invented for the practical purpose of creating more storage for excess funerary goods inside the tomb. The construction of elaborate niches and the purposeful placing of clay figurines and other objects in the latter half of the seventh century, however, show that niches were probably made for ritual purposes. They both symbolized the separation of the auspicious and inauspicious parts of the funeral procession and the particular status and circumstance of the deceased.