Spirit or Soul Jars are eye-catching funerary vessels that were buried with the wealthy dead in southeastern China from the second to the fourth century CE. One of their remarkable features is that they are often decorated with figurines of natural animals and humans. However, by the late third century, the number of natural animals depicted on the jars decreases. They are frequently replaced by two-dimensional stamps of auspicious creatures.
What was responsible for this change? Where were these images of auspicious creatures coming from? What exact meanings did they have? My paper will document how this new type of decoration gradually changed the pictorial program of the jars. It will also identify each of these auspicious creatures and their meanings. I will indicate that the preponderance of these fantastical beasts was prevalent in northern China during the Han Dynasty. Hence, their appearance on these indigenous jars indicates the large-scale migration of refugees from war-stricken northern China to Jiangnan (Southeastern China). The near banishment of natural animal figurines also suggests the waning strength of the cultural influence of the indigenous Mountain Yue (Shan Yue 山越) people.