The Number of appointed graveyardkeeper families in the Tang Dynasty occurred in different historical records to be “400 people” and “3 000 families”. It is supposed that the “400 people” should have come from the “3 000 families”, who were divided into upper and lower classes. The regulations for the graveyardkeeper families were not written in The Decrees but should be contained in The Ceremonies. The graveyardkeepers were responsible for guarding, cleaning and building tombs. They were untouchables before the 17th of the Imperial title of Kaiyuan, similar to officials families, later became lawabiding people in the charge of domestic affairs department, similar to “lower workers”. However, their status, nearly equivalent to dogsbodies of the music department, was lower than common people who served as official closelycontrolled slaves all their lives. Down to the late Tang Dynasty, however, there appeared the employed “graveyard guards”.

graveyardkeeper families in the Tang Dynasty; graveyardkeeper; decrees in the Tang Dynasty; lower worker; dogsbody of the music department