This work explores the many factors underlying the extended popularity
of the cliff tomb, a local burial form in the Sichuan Basin in China
during the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25-220). The development of the cliff
tomb was linked to a complex set of connections involved with burial
forms, and continued through associations with many other contemporary
burial practices: brick chamber tombs, stone chamber tombs, and princely
rock-cut tombs. These connections and links formed to a large extent
through the incorporation of the Sichuan region within the Empire, which
began in the fourth century BC. It was as part of this overall context
that a series of factors contributed to the formation and popularity of
the cliff tombs in Sichuan. The hilly topography and the soft sandstone,
easy to cut, provided a natural resource for the development of cliff
tombs. The present book, therefore, analyses the decisions behind the
exploitation of this natural resource, which were also affected by many
complexities rooted in the social background. The inherent nature of the
cliff tomb structure is fully explored, followed by an investigation
into the corresponding innovations involving pictorial carvings and
burial objects. The meanings behind the seemingly continuous 'family'
associated with the cliff tomb structure are also explored, as the
construction of the tomb resulted from the continuous endeavours of many
generations, and the physical appearance of the cliff tomb becomes a
metaphor for family prosperity.
