A red colored rubbing of an Eastern Han stone showing a Lord on an excursion, accompanied by his servants. The rubbing scholar has added a poem.

Even the architecture of the Han Dynasty can be reconstructed because a brick and its rubbing of a city gate have survived. The gate is flanked by two mighty towers with watching platforms at its top. On the roof of the gate we see a phoenix, a symbol of happiness, luck and longevity. We also find models of towers, palaces and farms in the tombs of the Han nobility that are scattered all over China.

An item that is found in tombs and can be seen in pictorial art, is the one horse chariot of the Han dynasty. It was used by an aristocrat and the chariot leader. A halfmoon shaped axes indicates the rank of the owner of this chariot. Brick and rubbing are both conserved.

We see not only the life of the nobility but also the daily work the peasants had to do. This rubbing of an Eastern Han brick shows two men shooting ducks and harvesting peasants.

A further example of a picture that shows a scene in daily life is this rubbing of an Eastern Han brick, demonstrating the work in a butcher's shop, where we see meet being chopped, hanged up, dried and boiled.

As a source of Han social history, this picture of a store can be used as an ideal illustrative material. The trader sells sheep and a kind of wine.

The period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties was dominated by warriors of Chinese and Non-Chinese origin. This brick shows a cavalry soldier with his heavily armored horse.

Southern Dynasties court ladies. On this brick we can admire the costumes, hair fashion and the large shoes of the 5th century dames à la mode.