Art of East Asia: Neolithic & Bronze Age China

Another example of the storage jar form the Ban-po site. Huge storage
jars such as this one were presumably used for grain or grain wine. They
were placed in the grave to accompany the deceased into the after-life and
to provide the necessary sustenance for his/her well-being in the future.
This strong belief in the after life and the need to provision the deceased
continues in Traditional Chinese culture to the present day, The spiral
design occurs in many variants. Shanghai Museum.


