A Tale of Two Dynasties on the Wei River Plain

The fertile lands flanking the Wei River in Shaanxi province hold one of China’s most intriguing archaeological conundrums. This region served consecutively as the heartland of two mighty empires – first as the capital territory of Qin dynasty’s Xianyang city, then transformed into the imperial necropolis and administrative zone of Western Han’s Chang’an. The archaeological record here presents scholars with a persistent challenge: how to distinguish between Qin and Han artifacts when their material cultures overlapped in this strategically vital location.

Two prestigious academic institutions – Northwest University and Shaanxi Normal University – both house collections of hollow bricks allegedly collected from Yaodian Town in Xianyang. These artifacts, claimed as Qin palace relics, feature intricate designs including “twin dragons arching a bi-disc” and “paired phoenixes holding pearls.” While their dimensions match confirmed Qin bricks, their decorative techniques and compositional styles tell a different story, sparking ongoing debates about their true origins.

Decoding the Dragon and Phoenix Bricks

The “twin dragons arching a bi-disc” brick presents a particularly fascinating case study. Its central motif features a ceremonial jade bi-disc flanked by two dragons looking back over their shoulders, their front claws raised in a protective arch around the disc. The design incorporates cloud patterns above the disc and lingzhi mushrooms below, creating a perfectly symmetrical composition of soaring dragons. Unlike typical Qin bricks with incised designs, these patterns appear in raised relief through a mold-impression technique.

This manufacturing approach bears striking resemblance to hollow bricks commonly found in Western Han sites, particularly those from Chang’an city or imperial mausoleums. The Han period saw extensive use of such bricks as architectural elements, especially for stair construction. Their designs frequently incorporated the Four Celestial Creatures (Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise) arranged according to cardinal directions – a cosmological concept deeply rooted in Han astronomical beliefs.

Celestial Patterns and Ancient Astronomy

The symbolic designs on these bricks connect to China’s ancient astronomical traditions. For millennia, Chinese stargazers organized the night sky around the North Star and Big Dipper, dividing surrounding constellations into twenty-eight lunar mansions grouped into four celestial quadrants, each represented by its mythological creature. This cosmological system found material expression in various artifacts across different periods.

Remarkable archaeological evidence of this astronomical tradition emerged in 1987 at Xishuipo, Puyang (Henan province). A 6,500-year-old tomb contained shell mosaics forming constellations – a dragon to the east (right) and tiger to the west (left) of the central skeleton, with human leg bones possibly representing other celestial markers. This discovery pushed back the documented history of Chinese astronomy by millennia.

Further confirmation came from the lacquered lid of a box in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (Warring States period, 5th century BCE). The lid’s design clearly shows the twenty-eight constellations arranged around a central “Dou” (Dipper) character, flanked by dragon and tiger motifs corresponding to eastern and western celestial quadrants.

From Qin Palaces to Han Mausoleums: Shifting Funerary Traditions

The Qin-Han transition period witnessed significant changes in imperial funerary practices. Beginning with the First Emperor’s mausoleum complex, ancestor worship activities gradually moved from temple settings to burial sites themselves. Qin Shihuang’s necropolis incorporated “resting halls” and “leisure palaces” where attendants supposedly maintained daily routines for the emperor’s spirit – making beds, serving meals, and performing other activities as if serving a living ruler.

This innovation influenced subsequent Han dynasty practices. The Xianyang plateau, once Qin’s capital district, became Western Han’s primary imperial burial ground, eventually housing nine emperor mausoleums in an east-west alignment. The early Han rulers, including Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) and Emperor Hui (Liu Ying), along with their consorts and high-ranking officials, were interred in this area – many deliberately placed near former Qin palace sites.

The Yangjiawan Han tomb cluster southeast of Xianyang’s palace district exemplifies this continuity. Its principal tomb (possibly belonging to Zhou Bo or other nobility) contained thousands of funerary figures – soldiers, cavalry, musicians, and attendants – reflecting the occupant’s high status. Notably, 1980 excavations here yielded hollow bricks decorated with tiger and phoenix patterns, further complicating the Qin-Han attribution puzzle.

The Archaeologist’s Dilemma: Contextual Clues and Comparative Analysis

Archaeological interpretation requires meticulous detective work, especially for surface-collected artifacts lacking stratigraphic context. The hollow bricks in university collections present precisely this challenge. Without clear excavation data, researchers must employ multiple analytical approaches:

1. Historical geography: Mapping known Qin and Han sites across the Xianyang region
2. Stylistic comparison: Contrasting decorative motifs and manufacturing techniques with securely dated examples
3. Cross-regional analysis: Identifying parallel artifacts from contemporaneous sites elsewhere
4. Material science: Examining clay composition and firing methods

The bricks’ decorative techniques – particularly the raised relief patterns and symmetrical compositions – align more closely with confirmed Han examples than typical Qin prototypes. While their discovery near Xianyang’s ruins initially suggested Qin origins, the weight of comparative evidence increasingly points toward Han funerary contexts, possibly from elite tombs rather than palace structures.

Enduring Mysteries and Future Discoveries

The Qin-Han transition period represents a crucial phase in Chinese material culture, where artistic traditions evolved while maintaining certain continuities. The hollow brick controversy encapsulates broader questions about how archaeologists distinguish between successive dynasties’ artifacts in culturally continuous regions.

Future excavations employing advanced dating techniques and more precise recording methods may finally resolve whether these magnificent bricks adorned Qin palaces or Han mausoleums. Until then, they remain captivating enigmas – tangible connections to China’s imperial dawn, awaiting definitive interpretation by tomorrow’s archaeological breakthroughs.

As research continues, each new discovery adds another piece to this intricate historical puzzle, gradually revealing how the Qin foundation shaped Han cultural expressions, and how both dynasties left their indelible marks on the Wei River valley’s archaeological landscape.