Zhaoling is the mausoleum of Li Shimin, a generation of saints of the Tang Dynasty who pioneered the rule of Zhenguan. Tang Taizong Li Shimin's extraordinary martial arts in his lifetime made the Tang Dynasty gradually become stronger from the flames of war. In modern times, Zhaoling has become a popular historical and cultural attraction.
Among them, in addition to the Six Juns of Zhaoling, the most famous is the statue of the 14 Kingdoms. Curiously, however, these statues of chieftains were stripped of their heads. It turned out that in history, the Zhaoling Tomb had been stolen many times, and the heads of these chieftains had also been stolen by tomb robbers.
(1) Statue of the 14 Kingdoms of Zhaoling: a symbol of the extremely high achievements of Emperor Taizong of Tang
Tang Taizong Li Shimin was the most accomplished emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and his achievements were not only reflected in his humility and consultation in internal governance, and in stabilizing people's livelihood, but also in military operations against foreign enemies. During Li Shimin's reign, he repeatedly carried out military conquests against the border feudal forces, destroyed the Eastern Turks and Xue Yantuo, and conquered various forces such as Goguryeo, Gaochangguo, and Tubo, laying the foundation for the orthodox status of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin's martial arts achievements are extraordinary, and he is also called "Heavenly Khan" by various feudal states, which means the Great Khan of all people and the lord of the world.
Later, when Li Shimin's successor, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, built the Imperial Tomb Zhao Mausoleum for his father, in order to praise his father's achievements in diplomacy and his leadership position in the hearts of foreign races, he specially built the famous statue of the 14 Kingdoms. The characters depicted in these 14 statues are actually 14 leading figures from 11 feudal states, which are used to express the submission of the feudal states to the Tang Dynasty, and the majesty of the Heavenly Khan is vividly displayed in front of these statues.
(2) The head of the statue has collectible value and is mostly stolen by tomb robbers
However, when we come to Zhaoling today to visit the statues of the 14 Kingdoms, we find that these statues are only still in their bodies, but their heads have been cut off.
Tomb robbery is common in ancient and modern times, and many outlaws will use this method to take risks and steal wealth. Zhaoling has suffered many times in history from tomb robbers, the most famous of which is the tomb robbery activities of the warlord Wen Tao during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, he led the army to loot the Zhaoling Tomb, it is rumored that Wen Tao and his soldiers spent a whole month to carry the treasures in the Zhaoling Tombs, including the "Lanting Collection" and many rare treasures have been excavated.
Therefore, as one of the highlights of the Zhaoling Tombs, the statue of the 14 Kingdoms of China is naturally not spared. But the whole statue is too heavy, it is too difficult to carry it all, and it is of little significance, so the tomb robbers cut off the neck of the statue, only stole the head of the most collectible statue, and left the body in place, which is why today we see the statue of the 14 kingdoms of Zhaoling only has a body and no head.
In summary, Zhaoling, as the mausoleum of Tang Taizong Li Shimin, carries many precious cultures of the Tang Dynasty period, but after the destruction of Zhaoling by tomb robbers in later generations, it is difficult to restore its original appearance, even the statues of the 14 kingdoms are difficult to preserve, and the heads are stolen by tomb robbers, leaving only the body of the statue. Therefore, those who came to Zhaoling, while lamenting the grandeur of Tang Taizong's martial arts, would also condemn the various evil deeds of tomb robbers.