Mural “The Outing” in Lou Rui Tomb of Northern Qi Period in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province

The occupant of this tomb, Lou Rui, was an aristocrat of Xianbei, an ethnic minority group of Northern China. Lou occupied a high position in the government of Northern Qi due to his kinship with Empress Lou, and was granted the title Prince Dong’anduring his lifetime. His tomb was built with high standards because of his heavyweight position. There are murals on the two sides of thetomb passage and thevaulted passage, and also on the four walls of the main chamber, with a total area of over 200 square meters.

The mural on both sides of the slope aisle towards the tomb is relatively well-preserved. There are three layers of the mural to illustrate the departure and return of a delegation. The upper layer is composed of a caravan with camels and horses while the middle one with armored and armed soldiers on horseback. The military band and honor guards holding the army flag are illustrated in the lower layer of mural. With distinctive countenances and postures, these characters are positioned in a loose but well-organized way on the two side walls along the narrow aisle leading to the tomb gate.

The murals in Lou RuiTombare incomparable in terms of composition and details among those of similar themes that appeared during the same period. Therefore, some scholars believe that this mural was created by court painter(s).