The Fading Immortal World - On the Declining Phenomenon of Immortal Themes in the Tomb Murals and the Secular Spirit in Han-Tang Period

消释的仙界—论汉唐墓葬壁画升仙题材的递减现象与现世精神

The content of ancient tomb murals reflects people’s concept of life and death at that time. The main task of this study is to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of ancient people’s concept on life and death by analyzing the content of “becoming immortals” in the tomb murals in the Middle Ancient Times. This paper provides overall statistics on the themes of “becoming immortals” in all unearthed Han and Tang tomb murals up to 2009 for the first time, and find that the themes of “becoming immortals” has decreased significantly over time, while the themes of daily life has always occupied the vast majority. The paper analyzes and points out that the Confucianism which is mixed with Yin-Yang and Wuxing in Han Dynasty, the self-examination of life in troubled times, people’s alienation from the concept of immortals and ghosts after the movement of the Taoist’s reorganization, and the moral pressure brought by the concept of Buddhist hell, etc., were all the reasons why the themes of “becoming immortals” in tomb murals was extremely popular in the Han Dynasty but rapidly declined in later times. Meanwhile, It demonstrates and emphasizes the conclusion that the concept of life and death during the Han-Tang periods gradually shifted from pursuing a world of immortals in the Han and Wei dynasties to focusing on real life, highlighting a strong secular spirit.

古代墓葬壁画内容反映了当时人们的生死观念。本研究的主要任务即通过分析中古墓葬壁画中的升仙内容揭示古人生死观的演化轨迹。文章首次统计了截至2009 年所有出土汉唐墓葬壁画中升仙类题材的总体情况，发现了其中升仙题材逐代大幅递减而日常生活类题材却一直占据绝大多数这一现象；指出学杂谶纬的汉学、汉晋之际乱世生命的自省、道教清整运动后人们对仙界与鬼魂观念的两重疏离以及佛教地狱观念带来的道德压力等等，皆是导致汉唐墓葬壁画中升仙类题材前盛后衰的原因；同时论证并强调了“汉唐之间的生死观由汉魏时期追求神仙世界逐渐变而为关注现实生活这一过程凸显了一种强烈的现世精神”这一结论。