A Preliminary Study on the Burial Costom of Face-coverings in the Ming Dynasty: Focusing on the Mimu

Mimu is a funeral equipment used to cover the face of the deceased in ancient funeral rites, which was first recorded in Yili and Lvshi Chunqiu. Schematic records first appeared in the Xin Ding San Li Tu in the Song Dynasty; and real objects were unearthed from the tombs of the Ming Dynasty. The tombs in Jiangsu with excavated Mimu, such as the Liu Jian's family tombs and Liu Xiang couple's tomb in Taizhou, as well as the Ming tomb at Crown Hill in Suzhou. The unearthed objects of Mimu not only confirmed the historical records, but also provided a material support for studying the use of Mimu in funerals in the Ming Dynasty. It also could serve as reference for research on Mimu before the Ming Dynasty. On the basis of reference materials, combined with the unearthed objects, this study sorted and analyzed the shapes, materials, wearing methods and user groups from the Ming Dynasty; the objective is to explore the original appearances of Mimu of the Ming Dynasty and the relevant customs in funerals.