In the period of about 200 years from the selection of Pingcheng as the capital of the Northern Dynasty to the unification of the Chinese nation in the Sui Dynasty, and in the baptism of blood and fire, all ethnic groups in China completed the significant integration of an unprecedented scale. Between Hu and Han nationalities as well as between the north and the south there were extensive exchanges, which gave birth tothe inclusive culture of the Northern Dynasties.
Shanxi in the period of the Northern Dynasties was not only a melting pot of different nationalities and a stage of cultural convergence, but also the core administrative region during the reign of the Northern Wei, the Eastern Wei and the Northern Qidynasties. In the areas of Pingcheng and Jinyang still exist and remain glorious even after thousands of yearsa large number of cultural relics of the Northern Dynasties, among which tomb muralsare undoubtedly the most noticeable.
Murals of the Northern Dynasties in its early stage gave out a strong grassland flavour. Later, it gradually formed its own unique features bydrawing on the strong points of the paintings of the Southern Dynasties and integrating with the painting style of the Western Regions. The tomb murals of the Northern Dynasties, serving as a link betweenthe Han-Jin dynasties and the Sui-Tang dynasties, made a glorious chapter in the history of the traditional Chinese painting.
Shanxi Museum features the collection of tomb murals, of which those from the Northern Dynasties have been well known for their abundance and wonderfulness. The exhibition specially selected the murals of the Lou Rui’s Tomb, the Jiuyuangang tomb and the Shuiquanliang tomb, and presented the painting art of more than a thousand years ago.