This article attempts to examine the relationship between tomb images and Buddhist icons in terms of archaeological found of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Buddhist icons were decorated in the tombs in the Pingcheng area during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Following the sinicization of the Northern Wei, however, Buddhist icons were less distinguishable in the tombs of the Luoyang period. The Buddhist images were put into the tombs without selection in the Eastern Han or the Wei-Jin periods. While after gaining further knowledge of Buddhism, people in the Pingcheng period became more cautious of arranging the Buddhist images in the tombs, and the images of Buddha were carefully excluded. In some cases, the regional workshops not only made the underground tomb images, but also manufactured the Buddhist statues on the ground. The regional workshops which made both tomb images and Buddhist icons contributed to the circulation of images, styles and craftsmanship between tomb images and Buddhist images.
