A large number of polychrome ceramics were excavated from satellite pits of the Han dynasty tomb in Qingzhou, Shandong province. These objects are of different categories. Some horse and figure polychrome pottery objects are particularly well preserved and have bright colors. The paintings on these objects suggest a high level of manufacturing skill that is rare among similar objects. To investigate the polychrome and pottery manufacturing techniques used during the Han Dynasty, Raman spectroscopy (RS) , scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), polarized light microscopy (PLM), optical microscopy (OM ), X-ray diffraction (XRD), wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and measurement of thermal expansion were used to study both the materials and the manufacturing technology used. The results indicate that pottery body of these polychrome potteries are made of local clay mixed with water for shaping and then baked at 900 - 1000°C. The colorants found are all mineral pigments. The white pigment is CaC03, red pigments are Fe2O3 and HgS, the black pigment is carbon black while the purple pigment is BaCuSi2O6. The pigments presumably are applied on the pottery by mixing with animal glue. This technique is a typical way to make polychrome pottery in the Qin and Han dynasties. This study can supply scientific data for conservation of similar cultural objects.