Museum Updates
Brick carvings capture Northern Song Dynasty theatrical scene
Updated: Apr 7, 2026
China Bound
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Step onto a Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) "stage" through this set of brick carvings. The front row features five performers of zaju (a Chinese drama integrating singing, dance, poetry, and other artistic forms). The second row depicts five musicians beating a drum, clapping a drum, and playing pipa (a four-string lute), flute, and bili (a double-reed pipe). These expressive carvings, now housed in the Henan Museum, offer a snapshot of the daily life, theatrical art, and aesthetic taste of nearly one thousand years ago.
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