Zhaoling Tomb

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Around Xian	- - -		Xian Hotels Reservation!
		-- Famen Temple -- Maoling Mausoleum -- Mt. Huashan -- Qianling Tomb -- Tomb of Crown Prince Zhanghuai -- Tomb of Crown Prince Yide -- Tomb of Huo Qubing -- Tomb of Princess Yongtai -- Xianyang Terra-Cotta Museum -- Zhaoling Tomb

Full travelling information of Xian attractions

Zhaoling Tomb

Zhaoling - the tomb of Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) a sagacious emperor famous for the "Zhenguan Reign" is a admirable imperial tomb in Xian. In 626 AD, Li Shimin came to the throne and in the year followed, he changed the title of his reign to Zhenguan. He was in power for 23 years and this is considered the point in history when Chinese civilization reached its most sophisticated state in the world. In 636 AD, Empress Wende died of an illness. According to her will, she was to be buried against the mountain and the funeral should be economical, and not so extravagant". Taizong chose Mt. Jiuzhongshan, 80 km from Xian, as the tomb site. He appointed Zhaoling to bury the empress, and the construction started soon afterwards. In 649 AD, Taizong died of an illness and was buried together with Empress Wende in the same tomb.

Zhaoling - the largest burial site for dignitaries in China, stands on the hilltop of Mt. Jiuzhongshan, 60 km (40 mile) northwest of Xian city. Although 14 of the satellite tombs have been excavated, the emperor's mausoleum itself has not. The whole necropolis covers an area of some 20,000 hectares (78 square miles). Constructed against mountains, the tomb chamber was built on a peak accessible by a 230-meter-long tunnel excavated through the mountain with five stone gates installed along. Rooms on both side of the tunnel contained

Zhaoling Museum

Visitors are normally taken to see Zhao Ling Museum, but not the site on Mount Jiuzong itself.

The museum features a Forest of Steles (not to be confused with the famous one at Shaanxi Museum). This is a collection of 42 vertical memorial tablets, which originally stood outside the tomb mounds, together with ten flat tablets from the interiors.

Emperor Taizong was a great military commander who loved horses. Six bas-reliefs horses of Buddhist originally placed here are of great artistic value. Unfortunately, in the 1820's these pieces of art were destroyed. Two of the figures were shipped abroad, and are now kept in the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, USA. The other four are on display in the Forest of Steles in Xian. Placed along with the stone carvings of the six horses, at the altar, were the pedestals of the statues of 14 dukes.

The museum also displays all the artifacts removed from the excavated satellite tombs. There is a splendid selection of Tang funerary pottery, both glazed and unglazed, including figurines of Chinese and central Asians, horses and camels. There are some fragments of wall paintings, a ceremonial crown from a satellite tomb and a massive pottery roof finial from the Hall of Offerings, the main building of the original enclosure in front of the emperor's mausoleum.

Admission: 20 (RMB)