Xu Xianxiu’s Tomb of the North Qi Dynasty in Wangjiafeng was listed in the 2002 Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in China on April 13, 2002 for its important archaeological significance and artistic merit.

The spectacular wall paintings of the entire tomb are basically well preserved, with vivid and realistic images and bright colors. It’s recognized as the masterpieces in the history of Chinese arts with wall painings in Lou Rui’s Tomb and the Tomb in Wanzhang, which reflected the highest level of painting at that time. However, Xu Xianxiu’s Tomb is quite different from them in terms of painting style and skills, which give it unique artistic charm. The strokes of wall paintings are simple and fast, and the dynamic characters are life-like reflecting the idea of illustrations in perspective. It looks like the painter was really good at sketching!

[Photo from tylyhy.cn]

This is particularly the case for paintings on the walls of the tomb’s passage, with the strokes on the rough walls being natural and smooth. The painter finished the drawing freely without drafting, and there is almost no trace of modification. The painter’s control of shapes and lines is absolutely stunning. Another thing is that the painter didn’t use the method common at that time to depict certain decorative patterns. He used a marker to add details to the painting directly instead of filling in colors after drawing up a sketch, which gives the paintings their unusual visual effects.

Xu Xianxiu’s Tomb of the North Qi Dynasty in Wangjiafeng, which contains vast historical and cultural information, is of great significance and value to the research and understanding of different aspects of social life in the North Qi Dynasty, especially the cultural exchanges between China and other countries. The paintings of the whole tomb are divided into those on the walls of the tomb passage and those on the walls of a coffin chamber. The wall paintings cover 360 sq m and carry over 200 characters, 8 kinds of horses, oxcarts and monsters, different kinds of ceremonial weapons as well as some instruments and necessities. The images of the objects are drawn life size.

Many experts believe the embossing on the stone gate is of the Sogdian style, but slightly different from the image in Zoroastrianism. It’s a mixture of Chinese and Western embossing. The paintings on the west wall depict the scene of the tomb in which the occupants travel, and the accessories of the ride fully reflect the extent of trade and cultural exchanges between China and other countries. A gold ring with a gem left in a coffin chamber is of the west Asian and Mediterranean style rather than a local product, which indicates the upper class’s preference for foreign goods from West Asia.

Although the ancient tomb has been raided 5 times successively and a great number of burial objects are missing, there are still some delightful gains. 1. Basically-completed wall paintings of the tomb; 2. A great number of low fired pieces of porcelain; 3. Exquisite painted potteries; 4 Precious proofs for cultural exchanges between China and other countries; 5. Excellent drawing skills; 6. Valuable materials for study on the history of Late Northern Dynasties provided by discovery of the Epitaph.

Xu Ying, the occupant of the tomb, styled himself as Xianxiu and was known as Xu Xianxiu. He was born in Zhongyi County and served as Grand Commandant of the North Qi Dynasty and King of Wuan. There are only fragmentary historical records about him.