The Facts of Hangyang Ling in China

Many tourists have a Xian tour for its Terracotta Army. But there is another attraction also related with terracotta figures, that is Hangyang ling in Xianyang City.

Situated near Wei River in the northern suburb of Xi’an city, Han Yang Ling Mausoleum is the historical site designated for state protection. This mausoleum which combines modern technology, ancient civilization, historical culture and garden scenery, is built at the base of the joint tomb of Emperor Jindi and his Empress. It is the top national museum in China.

Emperor Jindi (188BC—141BC), named Liu Qi, was the fourth Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. During his 17-year reign, he adhered to the philosophy of Yellow Emperor and Saint Laozi, whose main doctrines were to follow the natural principles. He developed a peaceful relationship with the Huns through intermarriages, and reduced the burden of tax and penalty. According to the historical document, “the state revenue of the ancient capital was brimming with coins that the ropes used to tie them decayed, leaving them impossible to count. Foods in state storage was permeated, most of them decayed”. Emperor Jindi, together with his father Emperor Wendi, opened a golden era of harmony in the early feudal society, which was later regarded as “the Great Reign of Wen and Jin”.


30 odd years of excavation shows that the Yangling Mausoleum is mainly composed of the Emperor and Empress’ graveyards, southern and northern burial pits, ritual building, the satellite graveyard and criminal’s graveyard, and ancient mausoleum town. To the west of them, lie the emperor and empress’ tomb, northern and southern burial pits and the remains of ancestral construction. The emperor’s graveyard is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by 81 burial pits radiating from the central mound. Outside the east gate of the graveyard is the Sacred Road, flanked by 8000 odd satellite tombs of ancient high officials, leads directly to the ancient mausoleum town. Objects unearthed from the 200 odd burial pits include armored Warrior figures with weapon, elegant palace maids with Han costume, countless animals with vivid expression. The HYLM is considered to represent the ancient burial custom, “ to attend to the dead as if to attend to the living”. HYLM is the most intact royal mausoleum of Han dynasty ever discovered. It is the most important tangible document in the research of burial customs and civilization of the Han Dynasty.

If you have an educational China tour to learn something about Chinese ancien history, Hangyang Ling should not be missed.