Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum

Luoyang, an ancient capital with a long history and splendid culture, always attracts the eyes of countless tourists. This time, I had the privilege of visiting the Ancient Tomb Museum in Luoyang, which felt like being in a real-life version of 'The Grave Robbers' Chronicles,' experiencing the mystery and charm of ancient tombs firsthand. The Ancient Tomb Museum is built on the basis of the Northern Wei Dynasty Jingling Mausoleum in the Mangshan Tomb Complex. It has recreated tombs from various dynasties, forming a vivid timeline of burial practices. 'Lady Opening the Door' is a unique form of artistic expression that first appeared in the Han Dynasty and was popular during the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods. It is often found in tomb chambers, ancestral temples, and stone archway paintings, and is a common theme in ancient Chinese painting and sculpture. These images of women partially opening doors are lifelike, as if they are telling ancient stories, moving the viewer deeply. The tomb of Song Si Lang, a late Northern Song Dynasty burial, was discovered in 1983. The tomb chamber has an octagonal floor plan, with brick columns built at each angle, topped with exquisite brick carvings of bracket sets. One side features a brick-built imitation wooden gatehouse, while the other seven walls have mural fake windows, filled with a strong artistic atmosphere. Here, I seemed to be able to feel the living atmosphere and cultural style of people during the Northern Song period. The exhibition area of Jingling, a royal mausoleum from the Northern Wei period, consists of a tumulus, tomb path, corridor, and tomb chamber. The tumulus is circular, reflecting the ancient concept of 'heaven is round, earth is square.' The underground palace is 56 meters long, and the tomb chamber is nearly square in plan.

As the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, apart from the Longmen Grottoes, Guanlin, and the White Horse Temple on the outskirts, there are pitifully few ancient buildings in Luoyang city. On the way to the Ancient Tomb Museum, I visited two Qing Dynasty building complexes—the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall and the Luzhe Guild Hall. The decent wood carvings, adorable stone lions🦁️, and exquisite stone column bases are among the few highlights. Tips1: During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the 'Shanxi merchants' from Shanxi and the 'Huizhou merchants' from Anhui shone together, holding a pivotal position in the national commerce and financial life. Luoyang was a necessary pass for Shanxi merchants moving south, Huizhou merchants moving north, and Shaanxi merchants moving east. There are two remaining ancient building complexes in the old city of Luoyang. One is the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall, which was built during the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods of the Qing Dynasty by the wealthy merchants of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. The other is the Luzhe Guild Hall, which was built in the ninth year of Qianlong (1744 AD) by fellow merchants from the prefectures of Luan and Zezhou in Shanxi. The Luzhe Guild Hall and the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall are less than one kilometer apart, east and west, showing the prosperity of Shanxi merchants' business. Tips2: The Wood and Stone Carving Art of Luzhe Guild Hall The wood and stone carvings of the Luzhe Guild Hall are particularly outstanding. On the components of each level of the building, especially under the eaves, the wooden beams, lintels, brackets, and hanging columns are almost all decorated with carvings. There are figures, animals, flowers, and more, with wood carvings using techniques such as relief and openwork. In addition to wood carvings, the stone carving art of the Luzhe Guild Hall is also very distinctive, especially the carvings on the column bases of the main hall, which are lively and exquisite. The six stone column bases in front of the outer eaves are particularly characteristic, with the upper layer featuring two dragons playing drums, the middle layer consisting of six animals penetrating a table in openwork, and the lower layer composed of three layers of stone carvings with twelve overlapping lotus petal patterns.

【Seeing Central Plains·Luoyang·Place of Eternal Rest, Place of Dream Entrustment】Braving the intense heat, I came to the Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum with great enthusiasm. First of all, the planning and design of this museum is excellent, showcasing tombs from various dynasties, and providing a comprehensive introduction to the Chinese tomb system through a large number of pictures and texts, with great effort. However, the real things inside are too simple and rough, there is almost no bright feeling, which is far from the feeling of being dazzled by the brick carvings of Ma Village in Shanxi a few days ago. Fortunately, the mural area is not bad, the exquisite brick carvings of the Jin Dynasty and the celestial map of the Western Han Dynasty are surprising, which can be considered as a compensation for my injured heart! Tomb area of various dynasties: The corridors on both sides are the relocated and restored tombs of nine dynasties from the Two Hans to the Song and Jin Dynasties (Western Han, Xinmang, Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Tang, Song, Jin). The content includes tomb architecture, brick carving art, tomb murals, unearthed cultural relics, etc., revealing some rules of the development and evolution of tombs and their burial objects in the Henan region from the Western Han to the Song and Jin Dynasties. Mural Hall: In chronological order, it displays 53 groups of more than 90 tomb murals and painted carved bricks unearthed in Henan Province (mainly in Luoyang area). The time spans eight dynasties (periods) including the Western Han, Xinmang, Eastern Han, Northern Wei, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, and Jin, and 15 mural tombs.

Luoyang, located in the center of the world, is not only the ancient capital of 13 dynasties, but also a "feng shui treasure" in traditional culture. In the evolution of the city over thousands of years, Luoyang has not only witnessed the change of dynasties, but also left countless ancient tombs. These tombs carry the imprint of people's imagination of the afterlife in each era from the Xia and Shang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum, as the only museum in China that displays the tomb system of multiple dynasties, is definitely one of the must-visit destinations in Luoyang. Of course, the most important thing is that after visiting this museum, you will understand how exaggerated those tomb-robbing movies and TV shows are. The museum's exhibition content is divided into three major themes ⏺"A Grand View of Burial Systems - A Collection of Ancient Tombs in Luoyang" Part One: "Heritage of the Luohe - Display of Typical Tombs in Luoyang" Nine dynasties and 25 ancient tombs are on display, all of which are underground. Each tomb can be entered for viewing, with only murals and stone carvings remaining inside, especially the most famous Song Tomb noblewoman's door. Part Two: "This Shore and the Other Shore - Exhibition of Ancient Tomb Culture" Through pictures, cultural relics, models, multimedia retrieval and other forms, it displays the important archaeological discoveries in Luoyang after the liberation, and interprets the architecture, murals, sculptures, utensils, decorations, and inscriptions in the tombs of different periods to explain the thoughts, emotions, and ethics behind them. Part Three: "A Thousand Autumns in the Underworld - A Grand View of Ancient Tomb Murals in Henan" A total of 18 groups of 65 ancient murals covering 185 square meters from the Han, Tang, Song, and Yuan periods in Henan region are on display. ⏺"Brick Painting History - Collection of Song and Jin Carved Bricks Exhibition" Connected to the first theme, this section displays a total of 106 Song and Jin carved bricks, divided into three categories: eternal offerings, great filial piety, and beautiful wishes. Through the visit, you can systematically understand the secular life and spiritual pursuits of people in the Central Plains during the Song and Jin periods. ⏺"Luoyang Northern Wei Imperial Mausoleum" After leaving the first two theme exhibition halls, you can come to the entrance of Jingling, where the museum is located. Visitors can pass through the long tomb passage and directly descend to the imperial mausoleum to see the royal mausoleum of the Northern Wei Dynasty. However, only stone coffins and stone statues remain inside. Opening hours (stop admission at 16:00) Summer: April 1 - October 31 9:00--17:00 Winter: November 1 - March 31 9:00--16:30 You need to make an appointment in advance, and the tickets are free

The Northern Wei Imperial Mausoleum is displayed in the above-ground part of the Ancient Tomb Museum, mainly featuring the Jingling of Emperor Xuanwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, showcasing the mausoleum system and royal mausoleum of the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Luoyang period. The tomb owner of the Jingling in the Ancient Tomb Museum is Emperor Xuanwu, the eighth emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the second son of Emperor Xiaowen, Yuan Ke. In 497 AD, Yuan Ke was established as the crown prince. In 499 AD, Emperor Xiaowen died of illness on his way to conquer the Southern Qi, and the 16-year-old Yuan Ke inherited the throne according to his will. He died in Luoyang in 515 AD and was buried on the Bei Mang Mountain. The design of the mausoleum learned from the Han Dynasty system and built a large-scale mausoleum and mound on the ground. There is a divine path in front of the mound, with stone Weng Zhong placed on both sides. Sacrificial buildings were built in the mausoleum, and the customs of the Xianbei tribe were also retained, such as the tomb chamber being square and single-roomed, etc. Jingling has been looted many times in history, and only some fragments of artifacts were unearthed during the excavation. There are five categories: celadon, glazed pottery, pottery, stone tools, and iron tools. Among the unearthed objects are Northern Song coins and white porcelain bowls, indicating that Jingling had been looted during the Song and Jin periods. A headless stone Weng Zhong with a residual height of 2.9 meters was unearthed 10 meters southwest of the tomb entrance, confirming that there were divine path stone carvings in front of the Northern Wei imperial mausoleum. The head of the stone Weng Zhong is now repaired.

The museum is a thematic ancient tomb museum, the first of its kind in the world, and the only tomb museum in China, with numerous tomb groups and mural art on display. The museum is divided into three major exhibition areas: the tombs of past dynasties, the tombs of the Northern Wei emperors, and the mural gallery, housing dozens of tombs from various periods of ancient China, all relocated from their original sites and restored for display in the underground exhibition area. According to the exhibition content, it can be divided into 'A Grand View of Burial Systems - A Collection of Ancient Tombs in Luoyang' 'Luoyang Northern Wei Imperial Mausoleum' 'Brick Painting History - A Collection of Song and Jin Carved Bricks Exhibition' Among them, 'A Grand View of Burial Systems - A Collection of Ancient Tombs in Luoyang' is divided into 'This Shore and The Other - Ancient Tomb Culture Exhibition' 'Heritage Tombs - Luoyang Typical Tomb Display' 'Underworld for a Thousand Autumns - Henan Ancient Tomb Mural Grand View' three exhibitions Ticket: Free ⏳Opening hours: (Closed on Mondays, except holidays) Summer 9:00—17:00 Winter 9:00—16:30 (No entry after 16:00) 🚉Transportation strategy: 1. Train: Take bus No. 83 directly from Luoyang Railway Station: 2. Subway + Bus: Take subway line 2 to Mangling Station in the city and transfer to bus No. 83 directly