Study Of Images Of Children In The Tang Dynasty

Pictures are the mirrors of a society. So, the images of children reflect values and beliefs of the society that created them. This article will discuss images appearing on drawings, products and textiles in ancient China. Unlike western art, images of children were not common in ancient China. However, the images that are found still show the deep historical roots of China's attitudes towards children. This article will examine the scroll drawings of children during the Tang dynasty. Most of the surviving examples are copies created during the Song dynasty as the originals were lost. However, archeologists have uncovered new finds in recent years greatly adding to the existing record. From the surviving documents, we can see that prior to the Tang dynasty images of children were both uncommon and indistinct but during the Tang dynasty children's images become clear and precise. Books about drawing children and infants were first seen during this period. Because of these two developments, the Tang dynasty is seen as the first period to incorporate images of children.This article will examine images of children from the Tang dynasty to explore the realities of children's lives at that time and also to explore the social values about children as shown in the images. It will also explore the influence of the works and the values expressed on later periods. This discussion will analyze three key aspects: the representations of children and family; the relationship between the images and religion; and, the lives of children.