The Enigmatic Burial Customs of Ancient China

Few archaeological discoveries capture the imagination quite like the Quzhi (屈肢葬) or “flexed burial” tradition—a practice where the deceased was interred with legs tightly bent, sometimes even with heels pressed against the pelvis. This distinctive funerary custom, prominently featured in the Xindian culture (辛店文化) of Gansu Province and later adopted by Qin commoners, offers a fascinating window into the cultural melting pot of pre-imperial China.

Recent excavations at the Shijia cemetery in Qingyang—a region historically known as the “Great Plain” (大原)—have reignited scholarly debates. Among over 100 Eastern Zhou-era tombs, archaeologists uncovered striking juxtapositions: chariot burials reminiscent of Zhou aristocracy alongside gold tiger ornaments betraying steppe influences, and most intriguingly, both flexed and extended-limb burials coexisting within the same cultural landscape.

Crossroads of Civilizations: Qingyang’s Strategic Significance

The Qingyang region’s importance as a conduit between the Central Plains and northwestern frontiers cannot be overstated. During the Eastern Zhou period (770-256 BCE), this area became a geopolitical chessboard where:

– The expanding Qin state clashed with nomadic Rongdi groups
– Zhou cultural traditions met steppe influences
– Agricultural societies interacted with pastoral communities

The 2018 excavation at Yucun village, merely a kilometer from Shijia, added layers of complexity. The site revealed a settlement with defensive walls containing burials of both flexed and extended postures—a rare phenomenon challenging conventional archaeological assumptions about spatial segregation between living and dead.

The Cultural Dichotomy of the Qin People

What makes the flexed burial tradition particularly remarkable is its selective adoption among the Qin:

| Social Group | Burial Style | Cultural Affiliation |
|————–|————–|———————–|
| Qin nobility | Extended limbs | Zhou aristocratic traditions |
| Qin commoners | Flexed posture | Xindian cultural influence |

This dichotomy speaks volumes about the Qin’s hybrid identity. While the ruling class maintained Zhou-style rituals to legitimize their rule (claiming descent from the Ji clan), the broader population exhibited cultural traits borrowed from neighboring groups like the Xindian people—a predominantly agricultural society with strong pastoral tendencies.

Political Theater: From Burial Grounds to Imperial Edicts

The region’s strategic importance continued into the imperial era. Historical records reveal:

1. 272 BCE: Queen Dowager Xuan famously eliminated the rival Yiqu people through a combination of romantic entanglements and military force
2. 3rd century BCE: King Zhaoxiang built defensive walls near modern Zhenyuan
3. 220 BCE: Emperor Qin Shi Huang chose this very region for his first imperial tour, distributing standardized measurement vessels with inscribed edicts

These bronze edict plates (诏版), later excavated at Xianyang’s industrial district, served dual purposes: standardizing measurements for economic transactions while projecting imperial authority. Their discovery alongside uniform ceramic measuring vessels (“a nest of rice bowls” as one archaeologist quipped) underscores the Qin administration’s meticulous approach to bureaucratic control.

Legacy in the Archaeological Record

Modern excavations continue to reveal surprises:

– 2017: A cache of identical ceramic measures found at Xianyang’s Changling station
– 2018: The perplexing Yucun settlement with mixed burial styles
– Ongoing studies of metallurgical analysis showing cultural transmission routes

The flexed burial tradition, once practiced by Xindian communities and Qin commoners alike, gradually faded after unification. Yet its persistence in the archaeological record serves as a powerful reminder of China’s multifaceted cultural origins—where steppe met sown, and where imperial standardization never fully erased local diversity.

As we piece together these fragments from burial postures to bronze edicts, we’re reminded that archaeology’s true joy lies not in definitive answers, but in the perpetual pursuit of understanding—a sentiment perfectly encapsulated by that fictional archaeologist’s line: “The act of continuous exploration is the real pleasure of archaeology.”