National Museum Masterpiece: New China Chic Eastern Han Drum-Beating Storyteller Figurine Ornament

This model is based on the Eastern Han Dynasty Drumming and Singing Figurine unearthed in Tianhui Mountain, Chengdu, Sichuan Province in 1957. It stands 56 centimeters tall. The figurine wears a turban with floral ornaments on its forehead. It is bare-chested and has a protruding belly, with high shoulders, wearing trousers and bare feet. The left arm embraces a flat drum, the right hand holds a mallet ready to strike. The mouth is open in a gleeful smile, the expression is humorous, and the movements are exaggerated, vividly capturing the image of a performer singing and drumming.

Performers in the Han Dynasty generally relied on teasing, comical, and satirical performances to entertain their masters and audiences. They often accompanied their masters, performing impromptu acts to amuse them. They usually sang while beating drums during performances. The imperial court, nobility, and wealthy officials of the time were particularly fond of keeping performers. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had “performers and dwarfs constantly around him, making him laugh”. Chancellor Tian Fen “loved singers, dancers, and skilled artisans.” Huan Kuan wrote in the “Salt and Iron Debate - Scattered and Insufficient” that “the rich pray to mountains and look towards rivers and mountains. They slaughter oxen, beat drums, and entertain themselves with singers and dancers.” All these can be used as evidence. Han Dynasty tomb murals depicting musical performances and hundred tricks often feature performers with short stature, bare torsos, and comical actions, and such figurines are also frequently found in Han Dynasty tombs, all of which demonstrate the popularity of performers at that time.

Singing and drumming performances were extremely popular among the Han Dynasty populace. This terracotta figurine, with its bare chest and belly, trousers and bare feet, its left arm embracing a drum and its right hand holding a mallet, is an excellent piece of sculpture that is rich in folk atmosphere and regional style. Similar drumming and singing figurines have been unearthed from Eastern Han Dynasty tombs in Sichuan, indicating that such performances were quite popular in Shu at the time.

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