Entering the Guishan Han Tomb, a chill washes over you, as if you've suddenly plunged back into the Western Han Dynasty, two thousand years ago. This tomb, the joint burial site of the Sixth King of Chu, Liu Zhu, and his wife, was hollowed out almost entirely from the mountainside, a construction of astonishing scale.
The tomb's corridor stretches 56 meters, its walls polished to a mirror-smooth perfection. It's said that if the two parallel corridors were extended indefinitely, they would intersect in Xi'an, thousands of miles away. Its design is truly remarkable. The fifteen chambers are fully functional, with chariot and horse storage, kitchens, dance halls, and even a sophisticated drainage system, demonstrating the ancient people's belief in "treating the dead as if they were alive."
Most astonishing is the shadow of "King of Chu Welcoming Guests" on the north wall of the King of Chu's coffin chamber, resembling a ceremonial official in Hanfu, whose gesture remains a mystery. Wandering through the chambers, one can't help but imagine how the craftsmen, one chisel and one axe at a time, carved this vast underground palace from the mountainside. One can only marvel.