Ancient Funeral Culture (4) (Main Core Aspects, with Variations Across Dynasties)

📜 The Evolution of Human Sacrifice in Funerals Ancient emperors and nobles practiced the custom of burying living people or objects with them: • Human Sacrifice and Pottery Figurines: Cruel human sacrifice was widespread in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. After the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Confucianism opposed human sacrifice (e.g., Confucius's opposition to 'the one who first made figurines'), and began to use pottery figurines (like the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang) or wooden figurines as substitutes. • Abolition and Revival: After the Han Dynasty, the practice of human sacrifice gradually declined. Although it was briefly revived during the Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, it was ultimately ordered to be completely abolished during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, exiting the historical stage.