Painting in the Han Dynasty shows the distinctive characteristics of connecting the past with the future, especially inheriting the achievements of predecessors. Judging from the motivation of painting development in Han Dynasty, the prosperity of silk weaving and paper industry in Han Dynasty and the change of painter's painting style virtually promoted the development of painting. In particular, the silk paintings in the Han Dynasty (paintings painted on silk) mainly refer to a flag held by Zhang during funerals and funerals. From its use, it is not difficult to find that the expansion of feudal market and the prevalence of thick burial custom contributed to the rise of silk painting. Although the earliest silk paintings discovered in China so far appeared in the Warring States Period, the first peak of the development of silk paintings was in the Han Dynasty. And because of the particularity of the Han Dynasty, the continuity of politics, economy and thought determines that the drawing of silk paintings in the Han Dynasty also presents the characteristics of connecting the preceding with the following.
At present, the academic circles generally believe that the representative works of silk paintings in Han Dynasty are five silk paintings unearthed from Mawangdui Han Tomb. Among them, the most representative silk painting is the T-shaped silk painting unearthed in Xinzhui tomb. The total length of the silk painting is 205 cm, the upper width is 92 cm and the lower width is 47.7 cm, which belongs to the special-shaped silk painting. The picture is mainly divided into three parts, from bottom to top, the sea, the world and the kingdom of heaven. The anticlimactic depiction of Nu Wa in the middle highlights the thinking about the origin of human beings and the worship of ancestors in the Han Dynasty. Next to Nu Wa, there are five cranes jingling around, their mouths open to the end, waiting for orders. The hibiscus tree was born ostentatiously, and eight golden suns surrounded the colorful branches. The sun here is smaller, different from the red sun in the upper right corner. The red sun symbolizes kindness and prosperity, and birds with black feet and golden feathers roam in it, showing a sense of good luck. The crescent moon in the upper left corner and the red sun in the upper right corner complement each other. In the center of the moon, there are jade rabbits running and jumping, and toads smoking. The black dragon's vigorous posture gallops up and down under the sun and moon, which is spectacular. Chang 'e rode the dragon wing of Ying Long on the left, with her arms around her, and landed on the moon. In the center of the picture are two cranes with priests in their mouths. Below the priests, there is a door that separates heaven from the earth. There is a leopard on the door, and here is a world map.
Silk painting, especially the part of heaven, shows the desire of the upper class aristocrats in Han Dynasty to ascend to heaven, live forever and be immortal. Burying silk paintings in tombs is not only caused by clan customs, but also reflects the hidden inner world of rulers. The background color of brown silk painting reflects the innuendo of the ruling class's thought, and the operation mode reflects the tacit mystery between the ruling classes, which invisibly reflects the semi-public characteristics of the thought of "leading the soul to heaven" in Han Dynasty. The use of images such as the sun, the moon and the dragon embodies the authority of the rulers and invisibly shows the operation of the feudal social power system as a tool to safeguard the interests of the ruling class.