Qian County Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)

For thousands of years, in order to be rich and wealthy, gold and silver jewels, the tomb thieves who went to the tombs are always presenting endlessly. However, in the vast stolen tombs, the royal tombs have often become the first choice for the tomb thieves because of the vastness of the baby. In the change of history, there is simply no one who survived the mausoleum of the emperor, and was simply "disturbed by the dream." Of course, there are also headaches for the tomb thieves, that is, Wu Zetians "Wan Nian Shou" - Fuling.

The tomb and murals of Prince Zhang Huai of the Tang Dynasty

The tomb of Prince Zhang Huai is composed of a tomb passage, a transition hole, a well, a corridor, a front tomb room, and a rear tomb room, with a total length of 71 meters. There are 6 small niches on the east and west walls of the second to fourth wells, where tri-colored tomb-guarding beasts, tri-colored standing figurines, horse-riding figurines, ceremonial figurines, pottery standing figurines, pottery horses, painted pottery, and green-glazed flower pots are placed. There are more than fifty groups of murals in the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, covering an area of more than 400 square meters, most of which are well preserved. From the content of the painted subjects, there are the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, travel, envoys, ceremonies, horse rust, singing and dancing, games, as well as court maids and accompanying officials, etc.

The Beauty of Qianling: Appreciating the Magnificence and Glory of Ancient Royalty!

Qianling, one of the dazzling eighteen tombs of the Tang Dynasty in Guanzhong, Shaanxi, is located on Liangshan, six kilometers north of the county seat of Qian County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. Here lie Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian, jointly guarding their royal dream. The mausoleum city wall is heavy, each side of the inner city has its own characteristics, with a total length of more than 5,300 meters and a total area of nearly 2.4 million square meters, fully demonstrating the royal majesty. Qianling was built in the first year of Tang Guangzhu in 684 and completed the main construction in the second year of Shenlong in 706. The unique architectural style of the mausoleum based on the mountain makes it stand out. The most eye-catching here is the grand layout of the mausoleum and the many exquisite Tang Dynasty stone carvings, which are like witnesses of history, telling the past glory. In addition to the main tomb, Qianling also has seventeen small accompanying tombs, witnessing the life and death of the royal family and meritorious officials. Qianling, with its intact main tomb preservation status, has become the best among the eighteen tombs of the Tang Dynasty and is the only Tang tomb that has not been robbed. On March 4, 1961, Qianling was listed as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council, establishing its important position in China's historical and cultural heritage. Time flies, on April 18, 2023, the Qianling site officially became the fourth batch of national archaeological site parks, officially joining the national team's big family. This honor is not only an affirmation of Qianling's historical value, but also an expectation for its future protection and development.

Today I would like to tell a few words about Chinese pyramids. This is Qianling 乾陵。There is probably the hugest pyramid in the world. its height is about 300 m. Xianyang / Xi'an surroundings counts more than 200 pyramid-shaped hills where emperors, their wifes, princess, generals and high ranked servants were buried. Most famous mound belongs to the Qing Shi Huang Di. But we will try to understand what does make Qianling special. At first, we have to note, that all mounds were made from pressed soil, and only Qianling demonstrates stone walls. Qianling actually is considered as a mountain, there is accurately avoided fact to name it pyramid. In this location (photo is presented) we can see two other mounds, those belongs to Wuza Tian empresses and her husband. These two really looks like non professional replica compared to tall mountain))))) Fact number two. All mounds construction / creation process was documented with details by lovely writing ancient Chinese bureaucrats, except... Qianling mountain. Tourists are not allowed to climb Qianling, but it's easy to do. Just turn right from tourist path, come around and start to climb trough the forest from back side. Well, the no name pyramid welcomes you and gives you understanding of the situation. Ancient people tried to copy, to replicate gorgeous monument, but their effort resulted in simple soil hills construction. My wife and I have visited almost all big mounds in Shaanxi plain area, but only Qianling lonely and forgotten pyramid is made of rock with its big stone steps like a huge stair. It looks so old, ancient, even archaic. You will feel that, the pyramid had stood before Chinese ancient civilization bloom, watched epoch by epoch, and it is still standing now. How to get there : from Xi'an 城西客运站 just take a intercity bus to 乾县，busses departs every 30-40 minutes. From 乾县站 after arriving take a cabby (10 min) or any public bus (30 min) to the Qianling 乾陵。 #tripaway#triplocal

The Tomb of Princess Yongtai in Qian County, Shaanxi

The Tomb of Princess Yongtai is the joint burial tomb of Li Xianhui, the seventh daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and her husband, the prince consort Wu Yanji. It is also one of the seventeen accompanying tombs of the Qianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. The Tomb of Princess Yongtai was built by Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Dan, according to the burial system of 'numbering tombs as mausoleums'. The tomb site has one mound of sealed soil, a pair of ornamental columns, a pair of stone lions, two pairs of male and female stone figures, and a pair of que towers. The tomb consists of a tomb passage, five tunnels, six skylights, eight side rooms, front and back corridors, and front and back tomb chambers. It is the largest and best-preserved female tomb of the Tang Dynasty excavated since the founding of New China. On March 4, 1961, the Qianling Mausoleum, including the Tomb of Princess Yongtai, was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Tomb of Princess Yongtai of Tang Dynasty

The Tomb of Princess Yongtai of Tang Dynasty is located in Qian County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. It is the joint tomb of Princess Yongtai, Li Xianhui, the seventh daughter of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty, and her husband, Wu Yanji. It is also one of the seventeen accompanying tombs of Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. The tomb of Princess Yongtai was built by Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Dynasty, Li Dan, according to the burial system of 'numbering the tomb as a mausoleum'. The tomb site shows a mound of sealed soil, a pair of Huabiao, a pair of stone lions, two pairs of Weng Zhong, and a pair of Que towers. The tomb consists of a tomb passage, five tunnels, six skylights, eight toilets, front and back corridors, and front and back tomb chambers. It is the largest and best-preserved female tomb of the Tang Dynasty excavated since the founding of New China.

Tomb of Prince Yide in Qian County, Shaanxi

The Tomb of Prince Yide is the joint tomb of Li Chongrun, the eldest son of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and his wife, Lady Pei. It is also one of the accompanying tombs of the Qianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozong of Tang. On April 23rd of the second year of the Shenlong era of the Tang Dynasty (June 8, 706), Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, buried Prince Yide, Li Chongrun, and his wife, Lady Pei, together in the Qianling Mausoleum according to the system of 'numbering the tomb as a mausoleum'. The tomb of Prince Yide, which has been excavated, is 100.8 meters long and consists of eight parts: the tomb passage, six tunnels, seven skylights, eight small niches, the front corridor, the back corridor, the front tomb chamber, and the back tomb chamber. The tomb is rich in burial objects, with more than 1,000 various cultural relics unearthed and nearly 400 square meters of murals. These murals can be regarded as masterpieces of the representative painting schools from the early Tang to the prosperous Tang, which are extremely rare in the authentic paintings of the Tang Dynasty. On March 4, 1961, the Qianling Mausoleum, including the Tomb of Prince Yide, was announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the first batch of key national cultural relics protection units.

The Tomb of Crown Prince Yide

The Tomb of Crown Prince Yide is located in Qian County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. It is the joint tomb of Li Chongrun, the eldest son of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, and Crown Prince Yide and his wife, Lady Pei. It is also one of the accompanying tombs of Emperor Gaozong's Qianling Mausoleum. The mound of the Tomb of Crown Prince Yide is double-layered and shaped like an inverted bell. It is 56.7 meters long from north to south, 55 meters wide from east to west, and 17.92 meters high. The mausoleum is 256.5 meters long from north to south and 214 meters wide from east to west. There is a rammed earth pile at each of the four corners of the mausoleum, and a pair of earth que on the south side. South of the earth que, there is a pair of stone lions, two pairs of stone men, and a pair of stone ornamental columns. North of the earth que, there are palace buildings, with a large number of Tang Dynasty bricks, tiles, and mural fragments still in existence.