The practice of elaborate funerals and entombing burial objects with the dead flourished throughout the Han Dynasty. A person's stature could be measured by the scale of his funeral and burial. Mostly local strongmen of fortress cities and aristocratic elite adhered to such customs as a manifestation of their power and wealth within a community. Based on early indigenous and Taoist principles of morality, the attainment of immortality moved to the forefront of doctrinal practices. It was partially in this aspiration for the eternal Tao combined with concern for correct performance of the rites that lead to the development of the tomb system. Throughout the Han period, the most popular subject for figurines was people. This painted earthenware of a standing soldier is illustrative of this preference for human subjects as they came to manifest the permanent relationship between lord and subject throughout eternity. The figurine is painted wearing a white robe with blue trimming and blue cap with red band. Traces of red paint and earth cover the figurine in the some areas. This man was of middle ranking as shown by his standing posture and holes in hands that once held weapons or emblems of office. Standing stiffly with one arm out and one to his side, the figurine's rigidness suggests a Western Han influence which is characterized by placing little emphasis on movement and more on detail. However, the disproportionate body formation indicates a syncretism of the two predominate styles which emerged during the Han.