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King Father of the East, Disciples of Confucius and Chariots

Tags: art | Confucius | Han dynasty | shrine | tomb

The upper panel depicts the King Father of the East. Like the Queen Mother of the West, he was one of the highest immortals in the Han pantheon. he is often surrounded by nine-tail foxes, jade hares, and three-footed birds as well as other birds and strange animals. In the middle panel are the disciples of Confucius among whom the one wearing a cockscomb is Tzu Lu. These Confucian figures reflect the ideological leanings of the tomb owner. In the lower panel are horses and chariots. They sometimes represent the inspection trips of the tomb owner, but can also depict funeral processions. The original stone is now kept in Chia-hsiang County, Shantung Province.

Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
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