Pottery figurines with forks

[Male figurines with forks]

Male figurines with forks in the Eastern Han Dynasty, 48.2 cm high and 19 cm wide. Unearthed from cliff tombs in Pengshan, Sichuan
The terracotta figures wear a round hat with their hair curled up behind their heads. Eyes slightly closed, face slightly smiling. The upper body is covered with a round neck coat inside and two layers of right lapel coat outside. The outer coat has a margin, the cuffs are pulled up, the waist is tied up, the pants are under, and the feet are covered with cloth shoes. A ring-nose knife hangs from the waist, a dustpan in the left hand, a long-handled fork in the right hand, and a fork standing between the feet
Some of these figurines are called worker figurines and some are called shovel figurines, but the identity of these figurines has not been discussed in depth. We speculate that they may be related to water control, which can be confirmed from other unearthed cultural relics. The stone men with forks unearthed in Dujiangyan Irrigation Project and Lushan in Sichuan are all works of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The stone men with forks unearthed in Dujiangyan Irrigation Project are only tens of meters away from the land where the statue of Li Bing was unearthed. The inscription of Li Bing’s statue mentions that there are three stone men in Zhenshui, so the stone man holding a fork in Dujiangyan Irrigation Project should be one of the three stone men. The Lushan stone man wears a hat and hat, and the clothes and ornaments are close to this pottery figurine. The common feature of these stone statues and pottery figurines is that they both hold forks. In ancient times, the fork was also used as a “hook” or “insert” in addition to the needle used to sew clothes. The book of the Han Dynasty, The Annals of the Canal: “Lift the fork for the cloud, and break the canal for the rain.” Note: “The fork is also blocked, so the canal opener is also.” It can be seen that the fork is a tool for opening the canal and opening the water
Sichuan is known as the Land of Abundance. The Chengdu Plain is the richest in the world and depends on water conservancy. In the Qin Dynasty, Li Bing, the governor of Shu Prefecture, administered Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, which was a blessing to Shu and was deeply loved by the people. The appearance of such water control figures may be a reflection of the importance of water conservancy by the people of Sichuan.