Origin and Development of Contortion in the Qin and Han Dynasties: Insights from Pit K9901 of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Origin and Development of Contortion in the Qin and Han Dynasties: Insights from Pit K9901 of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Origin and Development of Contortion in the Qin and Han Dynasties: Insights from Pit K9901 of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor Cheng Xue, Yi Xue, Chuxuan Yang, Ruoxi Gao, Xinge Chen, Xiaoyu Liu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8358595/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Figurine No. 28, which was excavated from Pit K9901 of the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, has a stance that clearly demonstrates contortion. This study examines the physical shape of Figurine No. 28 and follows the evolution of such imagery in order to shed light on the origins of its movements and of Chinese contortion. It contends that Western acrobatic traditions influenced the development of Qin-Han contortion techniques, which were then progressively adapted to regional cultural contexts through continuous innovation and enrichment. This study interrogates a significant gap in the archaeological research on Chinese contortion acrobatics. By deepening our understanding of early Western contortion traditions and supplying fresh evidence for the thesis of Western cultural exchange at the Qin Mausoleum, these findings hold considerable significance for understanding the development of ancient Chinese acrobatics, early East-West cultural encounters, and the interrelated entertainment burial belief systems in Qin-Han society. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 10 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 29 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 22 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 18 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 18 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 14 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8358595","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":564426940,"identity":"fd6531c4-34eb-4e96-9612-b947c4b7c750","order_by":0,"name":"Cheng 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