Picturing Heaven in Early China, by Lillian Lan-ying Tseng, is an example of a successful study using historical archaeologyFootnote ¹ —a Western counterpart of what is usually called sanchong zhengju fa 三重證據法 (Triple Evidence Method)Footnote ² in China—and an increasingly popular method of comparing excavated artifacts with inscriptions, images, and related received texts. Although Tseng provides detailed analysis of how Tian is depicted in a great variety of artistic media, the subject represents a large and fundamental issue in Chinese philosophy and therefore deserves to be covered in broad as well as granular strokes. Furthermore, though the exact meaning of tian 天 (Heaven) was probably not considered carefully by ordinary people in China's early period, it was still frequently depicted in Han art.

As the author herself points out, this study focuses on two essential questions: “Was Heaven represented as it had been referred to in writing?” (p. 3) and “How did the many meanings of Heaven influence how it was represented?” (p. 4). Tseng answers these questions by analyzing and interpreting visual and textual resources in the following aspects: 1) representations of tianming 天命 (Mandate of Heaven) on building; 2) depictions of auspicious omens by Han artisans; 3) imaginative journeys to Heaven; and 4) the depiction of celestial bodies. In each chapter of this book, she describes the evolution of cultural conventions by which different motifs were expressed diachronically during the Han Dynasty. Her illustrative examples, such as the Mother Queen of the West (pp. 211–23) and the asterisms of the Twenty-eight Lunar Lodges (pp. 316–36), call attention to topics that are mentioned only vaguely in early transmitted texts.

In fact, the pluralism of Han ideas on Heaven is far from being expounded in any single book, especially considering their sources, which were diverse and which changed over time. Though this book overemphasizes the homogeneity and coherence of conceptual traditions, and neglects, to some extent, the different origins and characteristics of pictorial styles among various regions of the Han Empire, it is still remarkable for its informative and inspiring achievements.