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In the Six-Dynasties Period, the burial system of China underwent a process of development from the "Han System" to the "Jin System". Both at ground level and within the underground structures, high-ranking burials of the Six-Dynasties Period all had sculptures or figures of mythical animals meant as guardians or quellers of evil. The motifs and styles of these included not only components inherited from the burials of the Han Dynasty, but also newly emergent cultural elements, and in particular a system of auspicious beasts represented by lions. This new auspicious beast complex was related to the prior "Han System"of burial decoration but also showed clear differences. These changes reflected the symbolic features expressed through the formation of the "Jin System" in another aspect. Their influence reached down to the burial systems of the Tang and Song Dynasties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]