Abstract:

Buried in the sand of Lop Nur, a tomb decorated with mural paintings (d. 4th to 5th century CE) is in located northeast of a fortified town near Loulan, Xinjiang, on the periphery of great empires. Nonetheless, the borderlands are also contested sites of cultural encounters. Before being devoured by the expanding Lop Desert, Loulan was an important hub along the Silk Road, connecting China, Central Asia, and the Steppes, serving as a nexus of cultural encounters. The tomb structure and decoration exemplify how local elites at Loulan appropriated visual vocabularies from the neighbors to curate a centrality in the afterlife.

This study first investigates the tomb structure and the painted coffin, both of which were inspired by the Han dynasty’s tradition, and, therefore, demonstrate tomb and coffin designers’ in-depth understanding of the Han Chinese notion of the afterlife. I then proceed to examine the pictorial program of the tomb’s mural paintings in both the front and rear chambers. The depiction of banqueting and camel fights, which find their ultimate origins in Western Central Asia, demonstrates a keen interest in incorporating noble pastime activities in tomb decorations as a token of social status. Lastly, I turn to the religious aspect of this funerary monument. While the tomb’s double chamber and a long tunnel share structural commonality with contemporaneous tombs in China, a circular pillar decorated with numerous wheels finds few parallels with Chinese burials. I argue that the presence of a central pillar covered by the wheel motif, signifying the Dharma Law, transforms the tomb’s rear chamber into a Buddhist sanctuary. The architectural implication of a Buddhist temple is reinforced by the mural painting showing a donor worshipping the Buddha. It provides critical evidence to understand the transmission of Buddhism at Loulan and the religious faith of the tomb occupants. The tomb design that masterfully synthesizes Chinese, Central Asia, and Buddhist visual and architectural syntax manifests the centrality of the oasis town in Eastern Central Asia.