Several images of parrots have been found in the murals in tombs from the Wei-Jin dynasty period at Foyemiaowan in Dunhuang. This motif is not seen in traditional Han dynasty tomb decorations nor in tombs of the same period in other places, though there are records that parrots were depicted in the art of Dunhuang and the Western Regions, locations that deeply influenced the culture of the period. It is very likely that the appearance of these images was the result of the combination between traditional funeral culture and the cultural products of the Hexi region and the Western Regions. On the one hand, the parrots in the brick paintings on the screen walls erected in front of the gate to the tomb were depicted as deified birds and beasts, on the other hand, the images painted on the curtains covering the memorial tablet for the owner of the tomb often appear in roles more akin to pets and even seem to be intended as a funerary culture symbol of the future residence for the deceased.
