Study On The Family Tomb Of Wang Shixian At Zhang County In Yuan Dynasty

Due to the devotion on the battle fields, the Family of Wang Shixian at Gongchang of Yuan Dynasty rises to its prosperity and climbs to the list of Aristocratic Families. The Family Tomb of Wang Shixian in Yuan Dynasty, excavated by the Gansu Museum from 1972 to 1979, is currently one of most centralized and completed Family Tombs of the Yuan Dynasty. The cemetery is of high specification, and is well preserved, which is relatively abundant in remains and relics of history and completed in excavation document. All these above lay the foundation of the study on the selecting law of family cemetery of Wang Shixian, the burial arrangement principle, the tomb architectural form and decoration, and other basic historical facts.Through the comprehensive study, we make clear of the clan group of Wang Shixian family, the family migration flow, family lineage and marriage relationships and other aspects. The paper also relates to the economic and cultural exchanges between Mongolian and Chinese Yuan, the Central Plains and the Northwest Territories on behalf of the bureaucracy of the social life and other issues.This thesis is composed of five chapters.Chapter I including the determining of the concepts related, the carding of relevant academic history, the definition of research methods and theoretical guidance, and also the content of innovative points and shortcomings.Chapter II examines the cemetery selecting, burial arrangement, tomb architectural form and decoration, etc., of the Wang’s in Yuan Dynasty at a macro and systematic angle, and summarizes the basic characteristics and the evolution law of the family tomb of the Wang’s. “Living together and buried together”,Wang Shixian family cemetery is located in mountains and rivers around, which is significantly affected by Feng Shui Theory prevailing since the Tang and Song dynasties. And the arrangement of the family tombs follow Han conventional the Zhaomu burial. In addition, the architectural form and the tomb decoration are iconic elements of the brick tomb wood structure in Central Plains region of the earlier Song Dynasty.The third chapter analyzes funerary objects unearthed from the Wang Shixian family tombs. Wang’s family funerary objects are in a wide range, mainly ceramics, copper and iron, wooden-ware, epitaphs, silk and other categories. The epitaph unearthed provides the first-hand information for research on Wang’s family, making up for the shortcomings of the literature handed down.Chapter IV, on the basis of the information of the epitaphs and combining with the "The History of Yuan Dynasty" and other historical documents, discusses the belonging of Wang’s family, the family migration flow, the family lineage and marriage relations, social and living conditions and other aspects. Wang’s family originates from Wanggu Clan, grading Semu in the four color grades in the Yuan Dynasty; The Wang’s is not only long lived in Zhangxian, Gongchang, several members of the family(especially the third generation), due to the credit on the battle fields, begin their office in today’s Sichuan, Shanxi, Yongjing in Gansu, Henan, Jianghuai, Yunnan and other places; The Wang’s is prosperous in heirs, and with marriage relations with the royal family of Mongolia, the ministers, local Giants frequently, it raises the class and consolidates the family influence; Deeply rooted in Han Culture, the Wang’s family generally respected Confucianism, and mostly women are "good wife", which makes a contribution for Wang’s family to thrive and play an important role at that time in a harmonious household and social state.The fifth chapter discusses the reflection of the cultural exchange between Han and Mongolian, and the burial institution in the Northwest. And through the analysis on the building in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, we exemplify the manner objects of the tombs of Wang’s family. Wang Shixian family tomb, on behave of the physical example of the cultural exchanges between Han and Mongolian, absorbs the cultural elements, while also retaining the Mongolian cultural factors. For example, the family follows the conventional arrangement of Zhaomu burial of Han people, burial tomb building shapes and decorative wood structure inherited the basic content of the earlier Song Dynasty brick tomb of the Central Plains region, and also follows Han burial customs of standing the epitaph in the tomb, building the screen wall on the top of the tomb, which can prove that Wang’s family has absorbed many Han cultural factors. In addition, the pottery, bone brush, bone knives, sheepskin hat, brown hat, woven gold bra brocade, robes and other funerary objects, which unearthed in the Wang’s family tomb, with distinct Mongolian features, show us the Mongolian characters and daily practices.The Conclusion summarize the views and arguments of the article, and presented the inadequacies of this study.