Painting on silk, Drawing of Daoyin (the Physical Exercise Chart)
Medium:Silk
Date:Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE)
Dimensions:Length: 142cm; width: 70cm
Origin: Unearthed from Han Tomb No.3 at Mawangdui, Changsha City, Hunan Province.
The origin of this painting is actually a colored chart of physical exercises. It has forty-four human images (each 9-12cm tall) arranged in four rows, with eleven images in each row. The images include men and women, young and old. The postures and movements differ from one other. Some are sitting, some are standing and still others and practicing Daoyin or exercising using apparatuses. The discernible words cover the 31 sections and deal with the two aspects of health maintenance exercises and treatment exercises.