The Heaven-and-Man Oneness Concept and the Style of Funerary Plastic Art During the Han Dynasty
Authors: Xiang Wu 
Published: October 2022

The article analyses the Heaven-and-Man Oneness concept, which appeared during Emperor Wu of Liang's reign (汉武帝) and was important for the art of ancient China during the Han Dynasty. On its basis, the ideological thinking based on the Confucian view was formed. This philosophical concept explains the desire for a harmonious coexistence of man and heaven, where man and nature merge and mutually influence each other. The author emphasises that it is necessary to consider that during the long period of Confucian, Taoist and other teachings development, they constantly intertwined and mixed. Such a merger led to the fact that the Han Dynasty Confucian ideas, which combined the rituals of a strict social hierarchy and Taoist metaphysics, actively strengthened the consolidation of social stratification and the divine origin of the ruling class. Therefore, Confucianism was recognised and fully used by those in power.
The Confucian teaching of the Han Dynasty, led by its primary representative Dong Zhongshu (1), exalted the Heaven-and-Man Oneness concept（天人合一), implying that man and Heaven are one.
Sculptures in mausoleums are a product of the funerary culture. They bear the ideas of ancient people about life, death and the universe, at the same time being an essential part of the ancient China sculpture, which reflects the achievements and aesthetic aspirations characteristic of the ancient China art.
Under the influence of the Heaven-and-Man Oneness concept and the cultures of small-numbered peoples from the north and the kingdom of Chu（楚国) from the south, a unique style of stone carving was formed. The era of the Han Dynasty is the period of the emergence of funerary plastics. This historical period is divided into Western and Eastern Han. Until now, only stone sculptures erected in front of the tombs of officials have survived. The sculptures from the burial of Huo Qubing（霍去病）are an example of stone sculptures of Western Han tombs. Here, attention was paid to the original texture and shape of the stone; processing was minimal; the imagery technique was used （意象）through which the ideological approach of the harmonious unity of man and nature with the heaven-and-man oneness（天人合一) was expressed. At the same time, funerary plastic art was influenced by the traditions of the nomadic peoples of Northern China. Such features as naturalness and roughness of the image were formed. In stone sculptures in front of the tombs of the Eastern Han, man's fantasies about heaven were expressed, as well as the desire to gain immortality after death. At the same time, the stone sculptures were aesthetically influenced by the mystical and romantic realm of Chu.
funerary plastic art was influenced by the traditions of the nomadic peoples of Northern China. Such features as naturalness and roughness of the image were formed. In stone sculptures in front of the tombs of the Eastern Han, man's fantasies about heaven were expressed, as well as the desire to gain immortality after death. At the same time, the stone sculptures were aesthetically influenced by the mystical and romantic realm of Chu.