Center for the Art of East Asia

This conference is co-organized by the Center for the Art of East Asia (CAEA) at the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Center in Beijing, thanks to the generous support of the Cyrus Tang Foundation. 

Dates:

Saturday-Sunday, December 6-7, 2025

Location:

The University of Chicago Center in Beijing, 20th floor, Culture Plaza, No. 59A Zhong Guan Cun Street, Haidian District, Beijing, China 100872

Event Description:

The importance of the aboveground tomb carvings lies in their role as markers of changing funerary ideas and institutional practices. They diverged from the Rites of Zhou guideline of “no mound, no marker” (bufeng bushu 不封不树), transforming the gradually expanding aboveground space into a formal necropolis. By practicing “opening a path before the tomb and erecting stone pillars as markers” (muqian kaidao jian shizhu yiwei biao墓前开道，建石柱以为标), stone que-towers and spirit paths became standard features, defining the spatial orientation and boundaries of the funerary precinct. These elements demarcated the divisions between yin and yang, and between auspicious and ominous, and together with the underground chamber, constituted the holistic spatial unit of Chinese burials. In essence, the significance of funerary carvings goes beyond their iconography, style, or even their reflection of burial systems. More importantly, they reveal evolving conceptions of the tomb, define sacred funerary space, shape ritual and ceremonial meanings, and integrate spaces for display, commemoration, and sacrifice. 

Recent decades have seen groundbreaking advances in the study of funerary art, yet scholarship remains disproportionately focused on subterranean tombs and discovered artifacts. Compared to underground burials, aboveground stone carvings are fewer and less well-preserved. Current research mainly explores their institutional origins and evolution. Moving forward, an important goal—and a central theme of this conference—is to integrate these carvings and sculptures more fully into the broader discourse of funerary art history.  

This conference is also closely related to the collaboration between the Center for the Art of East Asia at the University of Chicago and the Modern Technology Application Research Center for 3D Modeling Arts at Xi'an Jiaotong University on the “Digital Restoration of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum.” This project is part of the 'Dispersed Chinese Art Digitization Project' (DCADP) launched by the two centers in 2020. Over the past few years, the project has completed 3D scanning of the Six Horses reliefs held by the Beilin Museum and the Penn Museum, performed virtual repairs on damaged sections, and attempted to restore their original display methods and spaces. Although the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum is a unique case in the history of funeral stone carvings, it must still be viewed within the broader context of ancient tomb art development. The conference aims to further understand the innovations and historical position of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum and to facilitate a broader discussion of Chinese tombstone art.

December 6, Saturday

9:20-9:30 Opening Remarks: Wu Hung (University of Chicago)

Session 1 (9:30-11:45) – Panel 1: Institutional History and Forms

Moderator: Shen Ruiwen (Peking University)

• 09:30-09:55 Jin Hongxiang (Wuhan University) – Institutional Imaginations: The Qin and Han Tomb Stone Beast System in Medieval Texts
• 09:55-10:20 Xu Zhiqiang (Nanjing Institute of Archaeology) – Stone Carvings of the Spirit Path in Southern Dynasty Tombs from the Perspective of Han-Jin Dynastic Transition
• 10:20-10:35 Tea Break
• 10:35-11:00 Lu Yangkun (University of Chicago) – Between Dynasties: Revisiting the Stone Carvings of Xingning Mausoleum
• 11:00-11:25 Zhang Jianlin (Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology) – The Impact of Tang Dynasty Mausoleum Stone Carving Systems on Neighboring Cultures: Observations on Tibetan, Turkic, Bohai, and Silla Mausoleum Carvings
• 11:25-11:35 Discussion: Shen Ruiwen
• 11:35-11:45 Q&A

12:45-13:15 Lunch
13:15-13:35 DCADP Digital Restoration of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum – Interim Results

Session 2 (13:35-15:10) - Tomb Construction
Moderator: He Xilin (Zhejiang University)

• 13:35-14:00 Hua Yang (Nankai University) – Architectural History Research Methods Based on Burial Artifacts: A Case Study of Southern Dynasty Mausoleum Stone Doors and Tie-Beam Vaults
• 14:00-14:25 Ran Wanli (Northwest University) – A Brief Discussion on Stone Columns in Mausoleum Stone Carvings
• 14:25-14:50 Yukina Zhang (Davidson College) – A Tomb of One's Own: Revisiting the Stone Coffin of Princess Yongtai through Digital Art History
• 14:50-15:00 Discussion: He Xilin
• 15:00-15:10 Q&A
  15:10-15:25 Tea Break

Session 3 (15:25-17:30) - Foreign Elements in Stone Carvings
Moderator: Huo Wei (Sichuan University)

• 15:25-15:50 Geng Shuo (Central Academy of Fine Arts) – After Zhao Mausoleum: The Heritage and Evolution of Foreign Ruler Images in Tang Dynasty Imperial Tombs
• 15:50-16:15 Hu Yiwen (Central Academy of Fine Arts) – A Study of the Ostrich Image in Tang Dynasty Tomb Carvings
• 16:15-16:40 Yang Mengge (Shanxi University) – The Origins of Zhao Mausoleum Six Horses Relief Stone Screens in a Eurasian Context
• 16:40-17:05 Zhao Yingzi (Peking University) – Research on the Foreign Envoy Stone Statues at Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Tombs
• 17:05-17:15 Discussion: Huo Wei
• 17:15-17:30 Q&A

December 7, Sunday

9:20-9:30 Opening Remarks: Lin Wei-cheng (University of Chicago)

Session 4 (9:30-11:45) - The Past and Future of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum
Moderator: Wang Xiaomeng (Shanxi University)

• 9:30-9:55 Zhou Xiuqin (Penn Museum) – The Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum and Early Tang Dynasty Narrative
• 9:55-10:20 Tang Yu (Capital Normal University) – The Commemorative Expression and Institutional Origins of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum
• 10:20-10:35 Tea Break
• 10:35-11:00 Ouyang Zhenyu (Xi’an Jiaotong University) – Analyzing the Stylistic Language of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum from a Spatial Perspective and Reconstructing the Digital Original Context
• 11:00-11:25 Chen Qiang (Xi’an Jiaotong University) – Quantitative Representation and Analysis of the Stylistic Features of the Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum
• 11:25-11:35 Discussion: Wang Xiaomeng
• 11:35-11:45 Q&A
• 11:45-13:00 Lunch

Session 5 (13:00-15:00) - Constructing Tomb Spaces
Moderator: Li Qingquan (Shandong University)

• 13:00-13:25 Ma Boyao (Northwest University) – The Appearance of Civil Official Statues in Tang Dynasty Tomb Carvings and the Construction of Tomb Spaces
• 13:25-13:50 Yin Ranxu (Peking University) – The Symbolism of Mountains and Forests: A Discussion on Tomb Carvings and Path Spaces
• 13:50-14:20 Han Meng (Shandong University) – Starting with the 'Stele of Zhaoling Map' (Zhaoling Tubei): A New Exploration of the Spatial Design Aims of Yan Lide's Zhao Mausoleum in Art History
• 14:20-14:30 Discussion: Li Qingquan
• 14:30-14:40 Q&A
• 14:40-14:55 Tea Break

Session 6 (14:55-17:15) - Stone Carvings and Media
Moderator: Zheng Yan (Peking University)

• 14:55-15:20 Wang Lei (Yangzhou University) – The Transformation of Tang Dynasty Stele: Visuality of Yan Zhenqing’s Calligraphic Inscriptions in His Late Years
• 15:20-15:45 Cao Mengge (University of Chicago) – Yan Liben's 'Sculptural' Painting
• 15:45-16:10 Wu Wanni (Peking University) – Mountains on Stones: Mountain Imagery and Territorial Concepts in the Northern Song Dynasty Imperial Tombs' Sacred Birds Stone Screens
• 16:10-16:35 Wang Fanghan (Shandong University) – Virtual: Replication of the 'Six Horses of Zhao Mausoleum' and Ancient Stone Carvings in the Modern Transformation of Chinese Art
• 16:35-16:45 Discussion: Zheng Yan
• 16:45-16:55 Q&A
• 16:55-17:50 Roundtable Discussion

Note: each presentation will last for approximately 25 minutes, followed by a 20-minute moderated panel discussion. The conference is conducted in Chinese.