Yan Zhitui (A.D. 531–589) of the Northern Qi dynasty had instructed in his will that the ”seven-star board” be used in his mortuary rites. The ”seven-star board” was placed at the bottom of the coffin, upon which the body was laid. With the aid of literary sources and latest archaeological discoveries, this article aims at sorting out the history of ”seven-star board” as well as other seven-star images decorated on the inner coffin. The preliminary results indicate that earliest instance of images of the Dipper on the coffin boards appeared in the Western Han tombs. However, extant cases of the ”seven-star board” used underneath the body can only be found at a later date. The reason is probably due to the incidental nature of archeological finds. The seven-star image used in burials is related to the cult of the Northern Dipper. It is believed that the Northern Dipper is in charge of death and capable of expelling evil spirits. Meanwhile, the Dipper is also a pointer used to determine time, season and directions. Therefore, round holes lined in the contour of the Dipper are sometimes drilled into the sailboat keels and inlaid with copper or iron coins.