Wang Renxiang，
On the Prehistoric Yin-and-Yang Patterns..............................................84

Abstract：Ancient Chinese cosmology featured Yin-and-Yang，which was the core of ancient Chinese philosophy. Since its origin is beyond textual records, archaeological discoveries are crucial to investigate the early period of the Yin-and-Yang concept. This article is a preliminary study to reveal the origin of the Yin-and-Yang concept according to relevant motifs. The author argues that such concept could be observed in the prehistorical period. The archaeological discoveries could shed light on the emergence of this concept and the correlation between Yin and Yang.

Wu Jiabi，
On the Twelve-Sun Motif on the Dahecun Painted Pottery..............94

Abstract：5000 years ago, multiple pieces of painted pottery of the twelve-sun motif have been found in the Dahecun type of the Yangshao culture. The appearance of such motif is not a coincidence, but a reflection of the cosmology, which may have been the origin of the Chinese ecliptic ideology. They are the material manifestations of textual records regarding the Yellow Emperor as the celestial vault. Archaeological discoveries have revealed that astronomy in the ancient time is beyond our imagination.

Tai Zilin and Zhao Jing，
On the Female Depiction in the Early Kaiyuan Period as Reflected in
the Female Figurines from the Yuanshu Tomb......................................102

Abstract：In 2002, the Xi'an Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Preservation excavated a burial in the southern suburb of Xi' an, the tomb occupant of which is Yuan Shu, the wife of a high official Zhang Jun in the Tang Dynasty and a granddaughter of Yuan Dashi in Henan. 21 female figurines were unearthed. 10 of the figurines were in good condition, exceptionally delicate and of sophisticate techniques in comparison with other figurines. The author compares them with characteristic female figurines and portraits in mural paintings of the same time, to investigate the development of female image in the early period of Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty.

Hu Xiao，
On the Mural Painting of the Zhenshun Queen of the Tang
Dynasty........................................................................................................109

Abstract：The imperial concubine Wuhui was beloved by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, who passed away in the 25th year of Kaiyuan and was entitled as Queen Shunzhen. She was buried in the Jing Mausoleum, which was looted between 2004 to 2005. Thereafter, it was excavated archaeologically. Inscriptions on the funeral eulogy unearthed are accord with historical documents. Though being looted, delicate mural paintings are preserved in the burial, which contribute greatly to the understanding of mural paintings in the Tang Dynasty. This article introduces and analyzes the mural paintings according to the different locations.

Sha Wutian，
On the Buddhism Sponsorship and Political Propaganda...................116

Abstract：Grotto No. 156, dating to the late Tang Dynasty, in the Dunhuang Grottoes was sponsored by Zhang Yichao, a leader in the Guiyi army. The mural painting are elaborate，depicting a rich assemblage of stories. The famous Mogao Grottoes Record is also in this grotto. Therefore, this grotto is of great value in the Mogao Grottoes and sheds light on the history of the Guiyi army. There are 26 portraits of sponsors. Zhang Chaoyi appears four times, his two sons appear three times and the Songguo Lady appears three times. The repeated appearances of the same sponsor is exceptional both in the Mogao Grottoes and the Buddhism art in general. To understand this odd phenomenon, one should take the military background of Zhang Yichao into consideration. The Buddhism paintings in grotto No. 156 were also the political propaganda to promote Zhang Yichao' s status through religious manners. The images recorded Zhang Yichao' s efforts to emphasize his role in the Guiyi army，even after he went to Chang' an.

Xia Linyu，
An Archaeological Perspective of the Sivi-King Motif..............................127

Abstract：The Jataka Tale of the Sivi king is characteristic of all Jataka Tales on Buddha' s sacrifice to save others. It has been demonstrated visually through sculptures and mural paintings in India, Xinjiang of China as well as the Dunhuang Grottoes. The Jataka Image of the Sivi king was depicted according to the Buddhism textual records, the two of which, however, saw great differences. This article, based on archaeological discoveries, analyzes fourteen books related to the Sivi king and compares them with the related images, in order to investigate the correlations between the Buddhism textual records and the images.

Huang Yifei，
On the Western-Zhou Rituals in the Shugufu Bronze Inscriptions..........136

Abstract：The bronze inscriptions of the vessel gui of Shugufu have records regarding the Patriarchal Clan System and the sacrificial rites of the Western Zhou Dynasty. According to the inscriptions from the Dahekou cemetery, the ruler of the Ba kingdom would not be referred to as a Duke. Therefore, the Duke in the bronze inscriptions of Shugufu would not be the ruler of the Ba kingdom. Shugufu should have been a son or brother of the Duke, who could not succeed to the throne and should have established a new ancestral temple. Records in the inscriptions of the Shugufu vessel reveal special rites conducted at a new ancestral temple, which are accord with that in the Book of Rites. In comparison with the book Baihutong and the Book of Rites, the inscriptions also reveal that the Wusi sacrificial rite in Baihutong should have been accurate in the context of the Western Zhou Dynasty, while the records, specifying the differences according to various statuses, in the Book of Rites differ from the rites the Western Zhou period.

Ren Shaoqi，
New Insights into the Broken Yuejing Stele in the Henan Museum
Collection........................................................................................................141

Abstract：Professor Wang Jingsheng argues that inscriptions on the two broken stelas unearthed from the Imperial Academy site at Luoyang, currently in the collection of the Henan Museum, should be from The Book of Rhythm and belong to the Xiping stelas. However, considering that The Book of Rhythm was gone during the Western Han dynasty, its related argument could not be arched. And the content of the inscriptions is nowhere to find in Xiping. The Emperor Shun reformed classic music and enacted new rhythm, the content of which is similar with the inscriptions on the two broken stelas. Therefore, the two stelas should have been related to Emperor Shun' s reformation.