Tomb of Wang Chuzhi

Tomb of Wang Chuzhi

The Tomb of Wang Chuzhi is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Era: Five Dynasties

Tomb of Wang Chuzhi: In June 1994, an ancient tomb on Xifenshan Hill, west of Xiyanchuan Village, Lingshan Town, Quyang County, Hebei Province, was looted. It was later salvaged and restored by the Quyang County Cultural Relics Management Office. Based on the relics and the epitaph found inside, it was identified as a tomb from the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, and the tomb owner was Wang Chuzhi. During his lifetime, he served as the military governor of Yiwu Army (with its capital in Dingzhou), commanding three prefectures — Yi, Ding, and Qi — and was an important regional warlord in Hebei. Wang Chuzhi, courtesy name Yunming, was the younger brother of Wang Chucun. His father, Wang Zong, was originally from Jinyang in Tang’s Bingzhou and lived in Shengye Fang, Wannian County, Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an). The family was wealthy and influential. His father had also held the concurrent title of military governor of Xingyuan Army.

Due to multiple instances of looting, few relics remain, and most are damaged. Judging from the excavation, the most distinctive features of this tomb are its murals and painted stone relief carvings, especially the latter—remarkable for their large quantity, fine subject matter, and exquisite craftsmanship, which were rarely seen before. A total of 18 painted stone relief carvings of varying sizes are embedded in the tomb.

The murals in the Tomb of Wang Chuzhi include celestial charts, cranes among clouds, circular flowers, figures, birds-and-flowers, and landscapes, mostly presented in the form of folding screens. Floral-and-bird paintings make up a significant proportion of the murals, followed by human figures and landscapes. The human figures are depicted with elegance and accuracy, reflecting the painting style of the Tang Dynasty. The ink landscape on the north wall of the front chamber is the earliest and most accurately dated ink landscape painting ever excavated. It was painted hastily just before the completion of the tomb, after the passage between the front and rear chambers had been bricked up and coated with lime. The entire painting was completed in one go, and its brushwork and composition bear similarities to Dong Yuan’s famous work “Dragon Robe and Proud Citizens.” It holds great value for the study of the history of Chinese landscape painting.

In May 2013, it was designated as part of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units by the State Council.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units