It is common for pottery granaries, both cylindrical and box-like, to be raised. Some stand on stilts and others on feet in animal form, often bear. The bear motif plays a prominent part in Han artefacts. Probably because of the strength of the bear, the form was fashioned as support for various structures. There are comparable examples to the bear motif. Men also appear in Han pottery granaries, shaped in different postures. Figure 4.44 provides a close-up view of a sculptured squatting man as a foot for a granary of the Western Han 31. It seems that men appeared a bit earlier than bears in terms of Han mingqi.
The mingqi Pottery buildings of Han Dynasty China 206 BC-AD 220, Quinghua Guo, Sussex Academic Press 2010, p. 100
