Brick Tomb from the Jin Dynasty

Jin Dynasty Brick Tomb

The Jin Dynasty brick tomb is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Jin Dynasty brick tomb was excavated in 1959 by archaeologists to the south of Niucun Village in the western suburbs of Houma City, Shanxi Province, and was relocated and restored in the city that same year. These Jin Dynasty wooden-style brick tombs were built in the second year of Dà'ān during the reign of Emperor Wéishào of the Jin Dynasty (1210 AD), which corresponds to the seventh year of Míngchāng under Emperor Zhāngzōng (1196 AD). The tomb owners were Dong Ming and Dong Hai of the Jin Dynasty. Both tombs are designed in a "courtyard house" style, featuring a southern corridor, northern hall, and east and west wing rooms.

The four walls of the tomb chamber are adorned with brick carvings depicting scenes of the tomb owners’ domestic life. The decorative flowers and trees are rendered in a rich variety of forms, interspersed with birds, creating a lively scene. On the northern wall are five exquisitely crafted colored clay figures engaged in performance—rare and notably elegant. For example, martial figures such as “Yu Chigong Brandishing His Whip and Seizing a Spear” display vigorous and heroic stances. Although brick carving has a long history in China, very few examples have been discovered from the Song and Jin periods. This brick tomb holds significant value for the study of ancient Chinese art, sculpture, and drama.