A Study of the Sino-Western Syncretic Paradigm in Silk Road Civilization and Northern Qi Mortuary Murals

This paper investigates the artistic paradigm of ‘Sino-Western Syncretism’ as manifested in the mortuary murals of the Northern Qi dynasty, situated within the broader context of Silk Road civilization. The study focuses on the state of exchange and fusion between the Central Plains culture and the civilizations of Central and West Asia along the Silk Road during the sixth century, aiming to elucidate the mechanisms of integration evident in the visual language, cultural symbols, and technical media of Northern Qi murals. Employing methodologies of iconographic analysis, spatial narrative theory, and cross-cultural comparison, this research analyzes the compositional structures, thematic content, and technical characteristics of the murals in conjunction with archaeological reports and both Chinese and international scholarly literature. The principal findings reveal that Northern Qi murals synthesize the traditional linear drawing techniques of the Central Plains with the Western region's method of chiaroscuro (concave-convex shading), integrate Han Chinese themes of feasting and processions with Central Asian elements such as pearl roundels and foreign attire, thereby forming a visual grammatical system characterized by a fusion of Hu and Han cultures. The innovation of this study lies in its pioneering effort to elevate the Northern Qi murals to the status of an artistic paradigm of ‘Sino-Western Syncretism’ and to demonstrate its significance within the context of global art history through an interdisciplinary approach.