Murals refer to paintings on walls. In primitive societies, humans carved various figures on cave walls to record events and express emotions; these are the earliest forms of murals.
According to historical records, Emperor Wu of Han painted images of various gods in the Ganquan Palace, and Emperor Xuan painted portraits of meritorious officials in the Qilin Pavilion; these were also murals. From the Wei and Jin dynasties to the Tang and Song dynasties, Buddhism and Taoism flourished, and temples and monasteries often featured murals. The Dunhuang murals preserved a large number of outstanding works of art from that era. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, scrolls became popular, and murals gradually declined. Tang Dynasty poet Luo Binwang wrote in his poem "Inscribed on the Seventh Floor on the Eighth Day of the Fourth Month": "The inscription is not from the Jin Dynasty, the mural is from the Liang Dynasty." Tang Dynasty poets Duan Chengshi and Zhang Xifu wrote in their "Collection of Poems on Visiting Temples in Chang'an: A Collection of Poems on Paintings": "Alas, the murals have not been exhausted, how lavish are the new paintings of later generations!" Song Dynasty scholar Lu You wrote in Volume Two of his "Notes from the Old Study": "There is a mural of an oxcart in the west wing of the Jiangdu Temple." Guo Moruo wrote in "Li Bai and Du Fu: Du Fu's Religious Beliefs": "Inside the Taiwei Palace, there are murals, the work of the famous painter Wu Daozi."
Murals on buildings can be broadly categorized into rough-surface murals, brushed murals, painted murals, relief murals, mosaic murals, and murals made of other materials. Traditional brushed murals are further divided into wet-on-wet and dry-on-wet murals. Ancient Chinese murals were generally distinguished by their location, including shop murals, temple murals, grotto murals, tomb murals, and residential murals. Modern murals primarily serve as architectural decoration; harmony and integration with the building and its surrounding environment are paramount. Materials are more diverse and durable.
