The most dramatic type of Yue ware is the large funerary jar, known by terms such as hunping (“vessel of the hun soul”), gucangguan (“granary jar”), or shen ting hu (“spirit pavilion vase”). Such jars are characterized by rather plain lower portions, often with low-relief designs on the surface, juxtaposed with complex sculptural assemblages that adorn the upper portions. This fine example actually consists of five jars in one: the main body supports a cluster of jars; a flock of birds with outspread wings and tails, as if ascending the jars, covers the surface. Below this, a multichambered pavilion with towers, bedecked with various entertainers and creatures, constitutes a spirited celebratory scene. At the entry to the palatial house a figure holding a tablet, a reclining dog on lower roof, and a parrot on the upper roof serve as a welcoming committee. Surrounding the outside of the palace numerous Central Asian musicians and entertainers, such as a storyteller, an acrobat, and a juggler—all perform with enthusiasm. Among them are various fauna: a rat, a dog, a bear, a tiger that has caught a bird in its mouth, and rows of shellfish-like creatures along the upper and lower rims of the main jar. In a continuous procession around the shoulder of the jar are a snake eating a frog, two salamanders, two turtles, and a crab.

Many scholars have speculated on the function and meanings of these fascinating jars. Perhaps they were used to store grain for the po soul, and represent the granaries of land-owning families. Some jars with inscriptions convey wishes for success and many sons, so the multitude of figures and creatures might also have represented a hope for abundance and fertility. Another possibility is that the jars were used in soul-summoning rituals, to entice the soul to return to the tomb and enjoy the comforts provided there. In this way the jar would function in the communication between the living and the deceased, and provide a portal through which the soul would enter the immortal realm and also return to the tomb. Perhaps the pavilion represents the que gate through which the soul would enter the paradise of Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, or in versions that have motifs of seated buddhas, it might represent the palatial structures of the paradise, or Pure Land, of Amitabha Buddha. That the jars have a funerary function for appeasing the soul is undisputed, and since no two jars that have survived are exactly alike, it is possible that jars were custom made to reflect particular the beliefs and wishes of their owner.