EASTERN HAN DYNASTY CLIFF TOMBS OF SANTAI XIAN, SICHUAN PROVINCE BY SUSAN N. ERICKSON (University of Michigan – Dearborn) Abstract Rock-cut tombs were a popular choice for burial during the Eastern Han dynasty in Sichuan province. A number of sites in Santai Xian in the Qijiang area have yielded this type of tomb, featuring multiple chambers excavated deep into the cliffs. Many of these tombs have pseudo-architectural elements and wall decorations, with applied pig- ment still intact in some cases. This article explores the kinds of architectural structures that were copied in these tombs and the meaning of the décor that is carved in relief or painted on interior walls. Basic characteristics The cliff tombs of Santai Xian三台縣 exemplify the preferred type of tomb in Sichuan province during the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25–220). Rock-cut tombs in other areas of Sichuan, including those at Leshan 樂山 and Pengshan 彭山, are better known since they were published by Western scholars in the early twentieth century (Torrance 1910 and 1930–1931; Ségalen 1915 and 1917; Ségalen et al. 1923; Bishop 1916; Bedford 1937; and Edwards 1954; for a very early account, see Baber 1882). Luo Erhu has grouped the cliff tombs in Sichuan into three geographic regions: the Chengdu 成都 Plain, the lower Min River 岷 江 valley where Leshan is located, and the middle Fu River 涪江 valley (Luo 1988b:163). This paper focuses on the rock-cut tombs of northern Santai Xian (Nanmingzhen 南溟 (明) 鎮) in the vicinity of the Fu River, as well as those of the southern part of the county (Anjuzhen 安居鎮) along the Qi River (郪江) and Jin River (錦江) (Figure 1: map). These tombs exhibit characteristics shared by tombs of all areas of Sichuan, but they also have some special features; they have yielded finely pre- served examples of wall paintings and painted relief sculpture, as well as distinctive architectural forms. © Brill, Leiden 2006 JEAA 5, 1–4 402 SUSAN N. ERICKSON Chongqing Figure 1a: Map of related sites in China (after Santai 2002, figs. 1 and 2).