Pottery manor, Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), 130cm long, 114cm wide. Unearthed from Yuzhuang Han Tomb in Huaiyang, Henan in 1981. Henan Museum Collection.
This set of disassembled and assembled pottery manor consists of two parts: courtyard and pastoral. The courtyard is a three-entry courtyard, that is, the front yard, the atrium and the back yard. There is a gate in the front yard, stables on both sides, and a built-in manger in the yard; entering the atrium through the second gate, there is a two-storey double-eaved gatehouse on both sides, and four-storey turrets with lookout holes are symmetrical on both sides of the gatehouse. The main building of the atrium is a two-story double-eaves and a top pavilion built on a high platform. There is no front wall on the lower floor. There are two staircases leading to the first floor of the main building. There is a toilet on one side of the main building, and a partial door on the other side to enter the backyard, where there are stairs leading to the second floor of the main building and the wing; the backyard has small low-rise buildings such as kitchen, toilet, and pigsty. One side of the pastoral garden is connected to the courtyard, the other three sides are surrounded by walls, and there are ridges, wells, irrigation ditches, etc. in the field.
This set of pottery manor unearthed in Yuzhuang, Huaiyang is rigorous in structure and vivid in image. It is the largest and most complete architectural artifact found in China. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the state system changed from the pre-Qin aristocracy to bureaucratic politics. These powerful clans often rely on blood relations, gather clansmen of the same clan, attract hired farmers, build docks, and have independent armed forces, which are called trilogy. The existence of tyrannical families brought serious land mergers, making this self-sufficient manor economy increasingly strong. This pottery manor is a true portrayal of the economic development of the manor at that time.
