These ornamental structures were very popular during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Que-towers in front of tombs were common, while those in front of temples were rare. Preserved que-towers from the Eastern Han Dynasty can be mainly in Sichuan, then Henan and Shandong provinces. However, the que-towers in Sichuan stand out for their exquisite sculptural techniques. Each corner of the tower eaves includes relief sculptures. For example, que-towers in front of the tomb of the master of Pingyangfu include two fighting tigers on each corner of tower eaves. Some quetowers in front of tombs have relief sculptures in the images of four divine animals and demonstrate typical Han styles.
There are 35 unearthed stone que-towers from the Han Dynasty, including five with verified histories. The que-towers are surface structures. After several thousand years, most are damaged and their sculptures damaged. Therefore, the towers are more meaningful for their historical than their aesthetics value. However, the general look of Han’s memorial sculptures can still be seen from existing sculptures on stone que-towers. Generally speaking, stone que-tower of the Han Dynasty is a unique in traditional Chinese architectures. After the Han Dynasty, various sculptures and murals on que-towers are still commonly seen. Over time, the que-tower developed into the paifang (memorial arch) and screen wall. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the que-tower evolved into a kind of structures similar to the wumen of the Imperial Palace.
Ornamental architectural sculptures of the Sui and Tang dynasties
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, ornamental sculptures were widely used due to the development of palace buildings and tombstones. According to historical materials, some imperial palaces including the Daxing Palace of the Sui Dynasty, and the Taiji Palace, Daming Palace and Xingqing Palace of the Tang Dynasty are exquisite and gorgeous. Compared to the Qin and Han dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties produced more splendid ornamental sculptures but threw a shade on the artistic value of tile patterns. Most palace buildings during the Tang Dynasty are made of brick with patterns in the shapes of lotus and grapes.
The lotus-shaped pattern is closely associated to the spread of Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty, while grape-shaped patterns are connected to the cultural exchanges between the central plains and the Western regions (Xiyu) in ancient times. Though elegant and splendid, Tang-style architectural sculptures are less dignified and powerful than Qin and Han-style ones and fully demonstrate the confidence and cultural tolerance of the Tang Dynasty. Eaves-tile ornaments are small and simple. These changes have an intimate relation with the changes in ornamental focus. Painted lacquer and sunk-panels were also adopted by the Tang architects. More attention was transferred from eaves-tile ornaments to other parts of the architecture.
However, there are no extant palace buildings from the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Sui and Tang-style architectural sculptures we see today are only from some Buddhist pagodas and bridges. We can only find clues on the appearance of palace buildings of this period from some architectural heritage and historical materials. For example, Anji Bridge, a bridge from the ui Dynasty in Hebei Province, was made of stone with various ornamental sculptures. It fully displays the ornamental style of the dynasty. One railing panel on the bridge is designed with jiao (scaly dragon)-shaped pattern, which follows the kui-shaped pattern on the bronze wares of the Shang Dynasty.
According to the New History of the Tang Dynasty and the Old History of the Tang Dynasty, there are records of Empress Wu Zetian building Tianshu (a kind of memorial column). In the late seventh century, Empress Wu Zetian built a more than 30m-high memorial column in the ancient city of Luoyang to symbolize her achievements on the establishment of the Dazhou Dynasty (690–705). This column is designed with exquisite patterns of dragons, kylin and phoenix. Although it no longer exists, we still can imagine its elegant look from other memorial columns from the Tang Dynasty, it is similar in structure and technique and different in size.
The Big Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. It was built in the early Tang Dynasty as a chamber for the translation of Buddhist scriptures for Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka). On its door frames and lintels carved with various ornamental paintings mainly images of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Four Heavenly Guardians by means of intaglio. Its ornamental styles and subjects are similar to the works of the same kind in other grottoes. It is a precious masterpiece from the Tang Dynasty in line-cutting ornaments. It displays the features of tiexianmiao-style from ancient Chinese painting. Besides, the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda in Jinan, Shandong Province, is another Buddhist pagoda from the Tang Dynasty with brilliant ornamental sculptures. It is designed with patterns in the image of Buddha, Apsaras and lions and pictures of dance movements on its pedestal, Apsaras, Buddhas, dragon and Heavenly Guardians on the main body. The pattern is splendid in color and complete in structure. It is quite ornamental.
Wooden architecture experienced evolved further during the Song Dynasty. Many palace and temple buildings from the Song Dynasty adopted painted ornaments rather than excessive sculptural ornaments due to the growth of painting arts. Carved bricks were only seen in tombs.
Stone architectural sculptures of the Yuan Dynasty