Yulin Cave 3: Fifty-One-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara - Rice Hulling and Acrobatic Performance

CHINA, Gansu, Guazhou; Western Xia period

These scenes are found in the upper left corner of the illustration of the Fifty-One-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara and is one of numerous images within the mural which portray everyday life in the area. In the image, rice is being hulled with a pestle, one of the ancient methods to process rice. The farmer wears a shirt with a crossed collar, short trousers, and hemp shoes. His head is wrapped in cloth and he holds onto a frame for support while his foot operates the pestle. This type of apparatus for hulling rice can still be found in the Central Plains of China. Beside the stone mortar, there is a bamboo scoop and a pile of rice which has been processed. A dish that contains a local melon or gourd is depicted just above the image. Musical instruments to the right side of the image include clappers and a zither. Three people perform acrobatics upon a square platform. A raised platter laden with food and a soup pot is found at the bottom of the image. Beneath the dish is a pair of mice.