The art of clay figure modeling in China boasts a long history that dates back to the Neolithic Age (about 4,000 to 10,000 years B.E). For instance, some pottery pigs and sheep have been discovered at the 6,000 to 7,000-year-old Hemudu site in Zhejiang Province. And the life-size terra cotta warriors and horses unearthed in 1974 from the mausoleum of the First Emperor (259-210 BC) of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) have been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World." In fact, archaeologists have excavated a great number of pottery figurines, animals, chariots, and boats from the tombs of the following Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Naturally, the funeral custom of burying figurines and objects with the dead gave impetus to the development of clay sculpture at that time.

Painted Buddhist Statues in Dunhuang

Clay Sculptures in Beijing

Works by Zhang the Clay-figurine Master of Tianjin

Clay Sculptures in Hebei Province

Clay Sculptures in Henan Province

Clay Sculptures in Fengxiang of Shaanxi Province

Clay Sculptures in Shandong Province

Huishan Clay Figurines

Clay Sculptures in Other Places

References