The earliest depiction of the Taoist deity Dongwangong was found by Chinese archaeologists in Jiangxi Province, in the tomb of Emperor Liu He, also known as Haihun Hou. The image of the celestial is imprinted on the back of the bronze mirror. Experts from the Institute of Cultural Property and Archeology of Jiangxi Province believe that the image of Dongwangong is connected with the legend of the meeting of the Lord of the East with the ruler of the West, Sivanmu.
Dongwangong was usually depicted as a tall creature with a human body, a bird's face and a tiger's tail. There are suggestions that Dunwangun embodied the features of the ruler Muwan, the "prince of the tree" who ruled the East. The find, experts believe, will expand the ideas of scientists about the culture of the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).
The tomb of Liu He, the excavation of which lasted for several years, has already presented many surprises to researchers. In terms of the number of gold items - almost five hundred - the tomb of Haihun Hou has become the richest in the history of Chinese archeology. But spiritual treasures are even more important. More than five thousand bamboo plates alone, which were used in ancient times for writing, have been cleared. Among the texts were previously considered lost fragments from the book "Lunyu", the authorship of which is attributed to the Chinese philosopher and teacher Confucius (551-479 BC). An image of the philosopher himself was also found - it appeared on one of the lacquer screens found in the tomb.
Liu He was a Chinese emperor, but his reign lasted only 27 days, after which he was removed from government under the pretext of "abuse of power" and "inappropriate behavior." After that, Liu He received the aristocratic title "hou" and ruled the Haihun estate, where he was buried after his death. In total, Chinese archaeologists have unearthed more than 10 thousand ancient artifacts in the tomb.