Research On The Cliff Tombsof Eastern Han Dynasty In Ba Shu

CliffTombs, which are carved in the cliff, are popular in Bashu area in the Eastern Han Dynastiy. Cliff Tombsreflect the characteristic of burial culture, social ideology, technology, economicand architectural art achievements in Bashu. They are helpful for the study of local characteristics of tomb architecture in Han Dynasty. The Cliff Tombs in Bashu are tupical for the imitation wood construction and stone carving art, which canprovide valuable building images for the study of the architecture in Eastern Han Dynasty.The paper is composed by three parts:The second chapter mainly discuss technical and burial culture background of cliff tombs. Because of the view of soul immortality and “honoring the death as the living” in Han Dynasty, traditional tomb with wooden chamber is replaced by house-like tomb gradually. Cliff tomb and brick –chamber are typical type of the tombs built with the idea of “honoring the death as the living”. Cliff tomb is different from hanging coffin and cave tomb.They have different nationality-belonging, construction method and funerary culture. There are four good conditions which are ethnic group, religion, economic and technical basis for the development of cliff tombs in Bashu area.The third chapter mainly discussspace constractioncharacteristics of cliff tomb. The distribution of cliff tombs in Bashu is related with geological environment. They distribute along rivers and Danxia lanform. Cliff tomb is offen carved in stable place which back on mountain and front to water. It‘s concern to the idea of Fengshui and custom ofsoul-sending with river in ancient Bashu. Cliff tomb is composed by tomb passage, burial rooms, tomb gate and drain. It's different from brick or stone chambers that burial space and religious space are arranged in the same paln in cliff tombs. The structure is queit simple and accord with mechanical principle. What's more, the spatial allocation of cliff tombs in Bashu service to the funeral custom aswell. The tomb gate of cliff tomb initate the gate of real house in Eastern Han Dynasty. There are many differences between cliff tombs in Minjiang river, Fujiang river and Changjiang river. Regional economic disparity and peripheral culture influence are the main reason that cause the regional differentiation. The hall and mandala are main sacrificial spaces in cliff tomb. The scale of rooms in the tomb are suitable for burial ceremony. They are according to the principle of economical practical. Cliff tombs in Bashu were created by stonecutters, feng shui masters and handicraftsmen. Cable drilling is conjectured to be the technique to dug cliff tomb.We can summarizes that cliff tomb in Bashu reserve a lot of architecture forms and technique of Estern Han Dynesty. As the result of imitation to the layout of real house, we can infer four characteristics of architecture layouts in Estern Han Dynesty. What‘s more, Stone carving that imitate wood construction in the tomb tell us the characteristcs of colum, roof, Dougong and ceiling. Que is often carved on the gate of ciliff tomb in Leshan. It‘s also carved on stone-coffin which symbolize entrance of heaven.