Scholars classify grave goods into two major categories: 'shengqi' (items for the living) and 'mingqi' (items for the dead). 'Shengqi' primarily refers to personal belongings of the deceased that were used during their lifetime; these items serve to highlight the tomb occupant's social status and personal tastes-examples include the bronze battle-axes found in the Tomb of Fu Hao and the Changxin Palace Lamp from the Han Tombs at Mawangdui.
'Mingqi' (also known as 'mingqi' or "spirit vessels") refers to objects crafted specifically for burial purposes that were not intended for use in daily life; their function was to construct an idealized environment for the deceased's afterlife. 'Mingqi' are typically fashioned from materials such as pottery, porcelain, wood, and stone, and they take the form of various ritual vessels, daily utensils, tools, weaponry, architectural models, and even figurines of humans and domestic animals. This custom is deeply rooted in the funerary philosophy of "serving the dead as one serves the living," aiming to "recreate" the daily social life of the Han dynasty for the tomb occupant.
For instance, the pottery well models frequently found in Han tombs carry a dual significance: They symbolize both the water supply essential for daily life and production, and the storage of foodstuffs. The craftsmanship of 'mingqi' evolved over time-as exemplified by the 'sancai' (tri-color glaze) pottery of the Tang dynasty and the paper 'mingqi' of the Song dynasty-and their specific forms, assemblages, and quantities often reflect the prevailing funerary rituals and hierarchical social norms of their respective eras .