Changxin Palace Lantern—A Masterpiece of Ancient Chinese Technological Artifacts

The Changxin Palace Lantern was unearthed in 1968 from the tomb of Dou Wan, the wife of Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, in Lingshan, Mancheng County, Hebei. The entire artifact is 48 cm high, the palace maid is 44.5 cm high, and it weighs 15.85 kg. Most bronze lamps of the Han Dynasty are in the shape of animals, and the Changxin Palace Lantern is the only known human-shaped bronze lamp from the Han Dynasty, earning it the reputation of being the "First Lamp of China". The Changxin Palace Lantern is cast in bronze and gilded, standing nearly half a meter tall, depicting a palace maid in a kneeling position. She holds a lamp tray (which can hold a fat candle) with her left hand and steadies the lampshade with her right hand. She is dressed in a thick, curved hem deep robe, tied with a belt, with a collar scarf, and an inner silk robe. The wide, flowing sleeves drape over the top of the lamp chamber, forming the lampshade. Her hair is tied into a bun, mostly wrapped in a square scarf, with one corner slightly drooping to her left shoulder. The Changxin Palace Lantern is indeed an ingenious device. The edge of the lamp tray has a handle (where a longer wooden handle was once inserted) used to rotate the base of the lamp tray, allowing the light to shine in different areas of the room. The lamp base is equipped with two semi-cylindrical sliding light shields that can open and close to adjust the brightness of the light. The palace maid's right sleeve naturally becomes the chimney for the candle, directing all the smoke into her arm. The candle soot eventually flows into the bottom of the palace lantern, attaching to a removable tray, making it easy to clean. The palace maid's face shows a complex and varied expression, and her posture also demonstrates extraordinary balance and tension. From the back, she can be seen sitting upright on her heels, but her shoulders seem slightly drooped from exhaustion, with her arches taut, bearing most of her weight on her feet. Different craftsmen and officials left nine inscriptions on the Changxin Palace Lantern at least three different times and occasions. There are two schools of thought regarding the ownership of this exquisite lamp, based on different interpretations of the term "Yangxin Family." The most convincing explanation suggests that the lamp was cast in a royal workshop in the Western Han capital of Chang'an, during the late reign of Emperor Wen (179 BC—157 BC) or the early reign of his son, Emperor Jing (156 BC—141 BC). This gilded palace maid first served in the bathroom of Changxin Palace, the residence of the empress and empress dowager of the Western Han Dynasty. Later, she seems to have been moved to the royal bedchamber and managed by the inner attendants, a small institution of 20 eunuchs responsible for the royal family's clothing and other personal items. In 150 BC, Emperor Jing (or his powerful mother, Empress Dowager Dou, who died in 135 BC) bestowed the palace lantern to his eldest daughter, Princess Yangxin (circa 160 BC—110 BC), and had the lamp reweighed and inscribed. A few years later, the princess gave the palace lantern to her half-brother, Liu Sheng, King Jing of Zhongshan, possibly as a wedding gift celebrating his marriage to Dou Wan from a powerful family. Dou Wan died between 118 BC and 113 BC, and the palace lantern was placed in her main burial chamber, buried underground for eternity. "Ingenious Creation—Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Technological Artifacts"