1. The most magnificent and majestic imperial mausoleum - the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang
More than 2,000 years ago, Qin Shi Huang spent 32 years and built a deep and mysterious mausoleum with the strength of the whole country. The huge and magnificent momentum of this project has created a precedent for the luxurious funerals of feudal emperors in previous dynasties. In 1962, the mainland conducted a detailed archaeological survey of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, and the archaeologists carefully drew the first floor plan of the cemetery. After exploration, the scope of the cemetery is vast, reaching 56.25 square kilometers, which is equivalent to the width of nearly 78 forbidden cities. However, many visitors to the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang are often disappointed to see only a large mound of lush trees. This "mound" is called "sealed soil" in the mouth of archaeologists, and it is often called "grave" by folks.
According to Sima Qian's "Historical Records", the tomb of Qinling is "more than 50 zhang high". At that time, the height of the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum was about 115 meters, which is equivalent to the majesty of a 53-story building. In 1982, the engineers of Unit 8341 used a precision level to measure the sealed soil of the mausoleum, and the results were: "The height of the tomb is 55.05 meters, and the height of the second step in the middle is 38.44 meters. If it is estimated that it will fall by 10 centimeters every three years, after more than 2,000 years, the height of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang has dropped by more than 60 meters, which is consistent with Sima Qian's record of "the tomb is more than 50 zhang high". This height far exceeds the Maoling of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and can be called the highest height of the tomb of the God King in Chinese history.
If you look at the sealed soil of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang from the air, you can see that it is in the shape of a square cone, and the Americans call it the "Loess Pyramid". From the old photographs of the 50s of the 20th century, it can be clearly seen that after more than 2,000 years of soil erosion, its stepped shape is still remarkable. After years of research, Mr. Yang Hongxun, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, speculated that the above-ground part of the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum may be a large civil pyramid larger than the pyramid of Khufu in Egypt! Recently, the archaeological team of the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang found scattered tiles on the "sealed soil", which provided strong evidence for the theory that there were buildings on the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.
Archaeological findings have also revealed that hollow-shaped palaces are hidden underground. The ground is covered with an inverted bucket-shaped soil seal, the bottom is nearly square, the side is about five meters long, and the height is 115 meters. And the mercury content of the soil around the imperial tomb is extremely high, and in the "Historical Records", "wear three springs, go down to the copper and cause the coffin, the palace views the hundred officials, and the strange and strange migration is full of it." With mercury as a hundred rivers and seas, the machine phase is instilled. The upper has astronomy, the lower has geography, and the mermaid paste is used as a candle, and the immortal one lasts for a long time". The whole cemetery is centered on the mound of sealed soil, and there are many burial goods around it, and the scale is unprecedented. In addition to the famous terracotta warriors and horses burial pits, bronze chariots and horse pits, there are more than 600 newly discovered large-scale stone armor pits, hundred opera figurine pits, civil figurine pits and burial tombs. Over the past decades, more than 100,000 pieces of cultural relics have been unearthed from the archaeological sites of Qinling. The archaeological work of the Qin Tomb is still ongoing, and if you want to uncover the truth about the most magnificent and majestic imperial tomb in history, you will need to wait patiently. We believe that it will bring us more surprises.
2. The most distinctive imperial mausoleum - the tomb of Emperor Ba of Han Wen
Emperor Liu Huan of the Han Dynasty was the concubine of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and his mother was Bo Ji. When he was young, he was named the acting king. After the death of Gaozu, Empress Lu was dictatorial, and Liu Huan was cautious to protect himself. In 180 B.C., Empress Lu died, and Zhou Bo, the chief lieutenant, and Chen Ping, the prime minister, welcomed Liu Huan into Beijing and ascended the throne, known as Emperor Wen in history. During his reign of 24 years, Emperor Wen advocated the Taoist idea of ruling by doing nothing, and implemented the policy of lightly repaying the poor and resting with the people, so that the society after the war gradually recovered, and the people could live and work in peace and contentment. When it came to Emperor Jing, there was "all the contempt and the palace was full, and the treasury was full of surplus materials." The money of the Beijing division is huge, and it is decaying and cannot be studied, and Chen Chen Xiang of Taicang is accumulated outside because of the overflowing dew. Corruption is inedible, there are horses in the streets and alleys, and there are groups of people among them. The world is safe, everyone loves themselves and relinquishes the law, first righteousness and then humiliation", creating a picture of the governance of the world for nearly 40 years of "the rule of Wenjing". Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty advocated simplicity, and his mausoleum construction was also unique. He advocated frugality, opposed extravagance, and vigorously opposed the practice of thick burials, leaving behind the legacy of "do not treat graves, want to be provincial, and do not bother the people". Therefore, although the tomb of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty is called "Baling", it does not have the shape of a significant mausoleum.
The Western Han Dynasty built a total of 11 imperial tombs, nine of which are located on the Xianyang Plain in the north of Chang'an City, and only two are located in the southeast of Chang'an City. Emperor Wen's tomb is one of them. The reason why Emperor Wen chose this burial place may be influenced by the Zhaomu system at that time. Zhao Mu system, that is, "the father is Zhao, the son is Mu, and Sun Fu is Zhao". In the arrangement of the tablets and tombs of the Jongmyo Temple, the ancestor is in the middle, the second, fourth, and sixth generations are on the left of the ancestor, which is called Zhao, and the third, fifth, and seventh generations are on the right, which is called Mu. On the Xianyang Plain, the Changling Tomb of Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, and the Hui Tomb of Emperor An live in the west of Changling, and the son of Emperor An is buried below, and lives in the east of Changling, which is in line with the etiquette system of Zhaodong Muxi. However, Emperor Wen is the son of Liu Bang and Bo Ji, and Emperor Hui is a half-brother, both belong to the Mu position, so the location in the mausoleum area is difficult to arrange, and Emperor Wen has to choose another mausoleum area.
According to historical records, the tomb was built on the mountain, and the cliff was cut as a tomb. "Historical Records: The Biography of Zhang Shizhi" contains: "Shang (Emperor Wen) to the Baling Tomb Gu is a group of ministers said: 'Wow! Take the north mountain stone as the coffin, and cut the Chen flocculent paint in the meantime, it can be moved!'" It can be seen that Emperor Wen took the mountain as a mausoleum, which was intended to prevent the mausoleum from being stolen and excavated. Historical records also contain that Emperor Wen once ordered that "all tombs are made of pottery, and gold and silver are not allowed to be decorated", but this seems to be suspected of literary ornamentation. In the last years of the Western Jin Dynasty, thousands of hungry people such as Yin Huan and Xie Wu in Chang'an "stole Han Ba and Du Erling (Du Ling is the tomb of Emperor Xuan)", and obtained countless treasures, which amazed Emperor Jin Chu. It can be seen that Emperor Wen's thin burial is only relative to other emperors. Baling is located on the north slope of Bailuyuan on the west bank of the Bahe River, resembles the "phoenix mouth" of the square cone, built by the mountain, the hole is dug for the burial chamber, and the stone masonry is built in the middle, which is solid and abnormal. Compared with the Han Mausoleum on the Xianyang Plain, the construction of the Baling Tomb may be more time-saving and labor-saving.
3. The most frugal imperial mausoleum - the tomb of Cao Cao
Cao Cao, the hero who never claimed the title of emperor, whose mausoleum was named emperor, may be a little far-fetched. Cao Cao, suspicious by nature, is said to have laid down a lot of suspicion after his death and built seventy-two tombs so that the enemy could not find his true burial place. To this day, although there are many finds claiming to be the tomb of Cao Cao, none of them are conclusive. At the end of 2009, an Eastern Han Dynasty tomb found in Xigaoxue Village, Anfeng Township, Anyang County, Henan Province, although some experts identified it as Cao Cao's tomb, but after some controversy, no consensus was reached. Later generations may have different opinions on the authenticity of Cao Cao's tomb, but one thing is certain, that is, the difficulty of finding Cao Cao's tomb is closely related to its frugal funeral methods.
Cao Cao advocated a thin burial, and according to the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, he left a testament on his deathbed, emphasizing that the world was not at peace and that ancient rites should not be followed. He asked for the funeral to be simple, no need for expensive burial goods, and the mausoleum was "based on height, not sealed or tree", which can be called the most frugal tomb among the ancient emperors and dignitaries.
Cao Cao, this generation of heroes, actually has sincere emotions. In his "Testament", in addition to the explanation of state affairs, it is more about the care of family trivialities. He instructed his concubines and geisha to live in Tongzatai after his death and to take care of their lives. He also mentions that the rest of the incense should be distributed among the people and should not be used for sacrifices so that it would not be wasted. For the ladies of the family, he advises them to learn to weave ribbons and straw sandals to support themselves. He even mentioned that he was worthy of others in his life, but the only thing he was worried about was how he would answer if Ruozi Xiu (Cao's son) asked his mother under Jiuquan. In addition, Cao Cao was deeply concerned about his five-year-old son, Cao Gan, who lost his biological mother, Chen Ji, when he was three years old.
This last words may have been ridiculed by some celebrities, such as Su Shi once said that he "lingered with concubines and sold incense". However, from this, we can see Cao Cao's true temperament. He cares about his family and children, as Lu Xun said, "ruthless may not be a true hero, how can a poor son not be a husband." Only such a person can have insight into life and death, think more about the living when dealing with the afterlife, and try to reduce the burden on the people.
The recently hotly discussed "Cao Cao Tomb" found in Anyang, Henan Province, has no valuable burial goods in it. If this tomb is not Cao Cao's tomb, one day the real Cao Cao's tomb is discovered, people will find that it is the most frugal imperial tomb.
4. The most solid imperial mausoleum - Wu Zetian Qianling
When it comes to which imperial mausoleum in the world is the most solid, it is undoubtedly Wu Zetian's Qianling Mausoleum. Over the course of more than 1,200 years, the mausoleum has been plagued by numerous thieves, including 17 recorded excavations. The largest excavation operation, the number of participants was as high as 400,000, almost half of the Liangshan where the Qianling Tomb was located, but the Qianling Tomb was still standing, and Wu Zetian and her husband Li Zhi were still lying in the "Longevity City". What is the reason for this?
In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Taizong Li Shimin learned from the experience of the previous dynasty and created the burial system of "because the mountain is the mausoleum", and the mausoleum complex and the carving group were skillfully arranged on the mountain, forming the trend of the dragon and the phoenix. The construction of the Qianling Tomb was in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the national strength was at its peak, so the cemetery was large-scale, the building was majestic and magnificent, and at the same time, it also made great efforts in anti-theft measures. "Tang Hui Yao" recorded, "Qianling Yuan Palace, its door is closed with stone, and its stone seam is cast iron to fix it." Archaeological surveys in 1958 confirmed the authenticity of this account. The Qianling Tomb Road is open on the slope of the south side of the North Peak, with a length of 63.1 meters and a width of 3.9 meters, showing a slope. Between the tomb passage and the tomb door, up to 39 layers of stone strips are filled, and nearly 4,000 stone strips are closely arranged. What's more ingenious is that the stone strips are connected by iron bolt plates, and every three layers of stone strips are threaded with iron rods, and then the joints are melted and filled with tin iron. Such a structure is not only enough to cope with the slashing and axe of the cold weapon era, but even the modern knife and gun explosives are difficult to shake.
The abundance of burial goods attracted the patronage of countless thieves, including professional tomb robbers, feudal officials, bandits, warlords, and even peasant rebels. Huang Chao was the first thief to attack Qianling. After he led an army of 600,000 to attack Chang'an, he immediately dispatched 400,000 soldiers to dig the Qianling Tomb. They leveled almost half of Liangshan, leaving behind a 40-meter-deep "Huangchao ditch", but the Qianling remained unmoved.
Subsequently, the Yaozhou Festival during the Five Dynasties made Wen Tao also start the idea of Qianling. Prior to this, he had successfully excavated 17 Tang Emperor Tombs. However, whenever he tried to excavate the tomb, he was always hindered by a storm. After three failed attempts, he no longer dared to continue digging. Qianling also escaped the second catastrophe.
The third threat to Qianling came from a modern reorganization division. They no longer used hoes and shovels, but machine guns and cannons. During the Republic of China, Kuomintang general Sun Lianzhong used black explosives to blow up the three layers of stone strips of the tomb on Liangshan under the guise of military exercises. However, as they were about to enter, a puff of smoke suddenly came out, and the sky was suddenly dark, and the sand and rocks were flying. Seven Shanxi soldiers bore the brunt of the attack and vomited blood to death. It is said that there were very few survivors of one of General Sun's regiments. In this way, Qianling finally escaped the last catastrophe. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, someone proposed to excavate the Qianling Tomb, but was rejected by the then Premier Zhou Enlai. Since then, Qianling has been able to maintain peace forever.
5. The most domineering imperial mausoleum - Zhu Yuanzhang Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
Located at the foot of Mount Everest at the southern foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, the Ming Filial Piety Mausoleum is the holy place where Zhu Yuanzhang, the Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, and Queen Ma were buried together. This majestic imperial mausoleum was built in the 14th year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, and after the vicissitudes of time, it was not fully completed until the third year of Yongle. Ming filial piety mausoleum covers an area of a wide area, reached 22.5 kilometers, its inner wall surrounds, enjoy the hall towering, the pavilion is spectacular and extraordinary. Half of the 70 monasteries in the Southern Dynasty were included in this forbidden garden. The pine waves in the mausoleum, 100,000 pine trees are lush and green, and there are thousands of deer walking leisurely, and each deer is hung with a silver medal of "the slaughterer resists death" around the neck to show solemnity. There are thousands to more than 10,000 soldiers guarding the palace day and night to ensure the peace of the imperial tomb.
The planning and design of the Ming Tomb is ingenious. Viewed from the plane, the main body of the tomb extends from the Great Golden Gate to Baocheng through the Shinto, and its layout is like the shape of the Big Dipper. Archaeological experts believe that this design is a symbolic technique adopted by the ancients, with the Beidou as the core of the overall planning, which not only draws on the belief of ancient China, especially the Yuan and Ming dynasties, that "the soul returns to the Beidou" after death, but also integrates into the mysterious layout of the Beidou where the Emperor of Heaven lives and is surrounded by the "four spirits". It can be seen that Zhu Yuanzhang regards himself as the emperor of heaven, and his domineering spirit and the demeanor of the founding monarch are fully displayed.
The architectural design of the Ming Tomb is also unique. For the first time, it adopts the layout format of the building square city and the Ming tower in front of the sealed earth and treasure city, making the back bedroom part majestic and above the other areas. The top of the large buildings such as the big golden gate, the stele tower, the hall of enjoyment, the mausoleum gate, etc., are all arch-shaped design, especially the arch coupon top tunnel of the Ming Tower, which is tall and profound, and is magnificent. The large drum mirror column base on the base of the Ming Tomb is derived from Nanjing in the early Ming Dynasty, which is completely different from the raspberry column base used in the Song Dynasty and its previous official buildings and the popular drum orange column base in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Since then, this kind of column base has almost become the only style of Ming and Qing official architecture. The shape of the ridge decorated with a dragon's kiss created by the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum architecture was also inherited by the official architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing, and was widely used on the top ridge of the official buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties in later generations.
All in all, the Ming Tomb is a concentrated embodiment of political thought, social culture, aesthetic consciousness, architectural technology and national financial resources in the early Ming Dynasty, with distinctive characteristics of the times and exemplary spirit. The mausoleum system of the Ming Dynasty has set up a model of the overall pattern and style for the construction of the imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties for more than 500 years, and its influence is far-reaching, self-evident. The plum blossom mountain in front of the Ming filial piety mausoleum was once the location of Sun Quan's mausoleum. When the mausoleum was built, Zhu Yuanzhang once said that he wanted to keep Sun Quan, a hero, to guard the gate for him, so Sun Quan's tomb has been preserved to this day. Zhu Yuanzhang, who was born in a reckless background, has achieved great achievements, but these actions still cannot hide his natural imperial spirit. Therefore, people praise the Ming Tomb as the most domineering royal tomb, and it deserves its name.
6. The most legendary imperial mausoleum - Kangxi Jingling
There are a total of five mausoleums in the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty, including the Filial Piety Tomb, the Jingling Tomb, the Yuling Tomb, the Dingling Tomb and the Hui Tomb, among which the Jingling Tomb is particularly eye-catching, and it is the resting place of the Kangxi Emperor. Legend has it that when Emperor Kangxi was alive, although he was diligent in state affairs, he was not very concerned about the mausoleum. However, during a trip south to quell the rebellion, he had a dream in which a flowery woman cried to him that her soul wandered around after death because she had not chosen a cemetery before her death. After waking up from the dream, Emperor Kangxi felt that the things behind him also needed to be carefully considered, so he ordered the construction of a mausoleum in the southeast of the Malanyu Filial Piety Mausoleum.
After the Jingling Tomb was completed, the first to be buried was the Empress Hesheri. Kangxi and Hesheri have been married since they were young, and the two are childhood sweethearts and have a deep relationship. The Kangxi Emperor was so grief-stricken that he decided to leave the court for five days to hold a grand funeral for his beloved empress, and to bury her in the newly renovated mausoleum, even though the war on the front line was urgent. In the 25 days that Hesheri's coffin was parked, Emperor Kangxi actually came to mourn in person for 20 days, which shows his deep affection for the empress. Although the prince born to the Hesheri clan was young, the Kangxi Emperor still canonized him as the crown prince. However, the crown prince was later deposed by Kangxi because he was not successful, and when the crown prince was abolished, Emperor Kangxi angrily scolded him for "being born to be a mother", which shows that his longing for his wife has never diminished.
Jingling also has a unique feature, that is, it created a precedent for the first time to bury the imperial concubine attached to the imperial tomb. Emperor Kangxi's favored concubine Zhang Jia, who was gentle, beautiful and generous, was good at understanding people's wishes, and Emperor Kangxi often took her with him when he visited the people. One day, Kangxi and Zhang Jiashi were drinking and having fun in the palace, Zhang Jiashi said that he dreamed of a giant python haunted last night, and today he feels tired and difficult to serve the emperor. Emperor Kangxi didn't care, but soon after, Zhang Jia died in the palace. Emperor Kangxi was shocked and painful and buried her in Jingling. Viewed from the air, the layout of Jingling is semicircular, with those with high status ranking in the front and center, and those with low status in the back. In the Jingling underground palace, in addition to Emperor Kangxi, there are also buried Empress Xiao Chengren, Empress Xiao Zhaoren, Empress Xiao Yiren, Empress Xiao Gongren and Emperor Jingmin.
In the concubine garden of Jingling, there are also 48 concubines and Kangxi's eighteenth son Yinji. Among the 48 concubines, there are 1 concubine, that is, Concubine Wenxi, 11 concubines, including Concubine Hui, Concubine Hui, Concubine Yi, Concubine Rong, Concubine Ping, Concubine Liang, Concubine Xuan, Concubine Cheng, Concubine Shunyi, Concubine Chunyuqin, and Concubine Ding, 8 concubines, 10 nobles, 9 Chang Zai, and 9 promises. Originally, Emperor Jingmin's concubine was buried with her concubines, but later her mausoleum was moved to the Jingling Palace. In the middle of the Jingling Concubine Garden is the mausoleum of Concubine Wen, while the Double Concubine Garden is buried with the Kangxi concubines and the Dunyi Emperor who had raised the Qianlong Emperor. The emperor's feelings are never exclusive to one person, and the same is true of Emperor Kangxi. Regarding the specific number of concubines of Emperor Kangxi, historians have not given a unified statement. "The Complete Biography of Kangxi" records that there are 49 nobles or above among the concubines of Emperor Kangxi, 67 concubines canonized, and more than 200 people are said to be in the lowly status of those who promise and are always there.
Despite the large number of concubines, Emperor Kangxi still cared about them very much. Whenever he left the palace, he would write letters or send people to send back souvenirs and other items to the concubines in the palace. In his letters to the concubines who lived in the palace, he would also share interesting stories from his travels to make them happy. One of the most important things that Emperor Kangxi did for his concubines was to make arrangements for their future lives in his later years. He ordered that concubines with sons could go to their son's mansion to live in old age, an arrangement that broke the tradition of concubines living alone in the palace until death after the emperor's death, showing humane care. Although it may not be a major event in history that so many concubines were buried in an imperial mausoleum, the literati and scholars could find many stories from it, so that future generations could get another kind of satisfaction from these fragrant legends. Therefore, we say that Jingling is undoubtedly a legendary imperial mausoleum.
7. The most unique imperial mausoleum - Qianlong Yuling
Emperor Qianlong ruled for 63 years at the age of 88, and his reign was marked by outstanding cultural and military achievements, which can be called a generation of "promising monarchs". At the same time, Qianlong was a very personable emperor, he wrote nearly 50,000 poems in his lifetime, a huge number, almost comparable to the "All Tang Poems", can be called one of the most prolific poets in history. He often regarded himself as erudite and talented, and liked to show his talents in front of his courtiers. Interestingly, in the choice of the site for the construction of the mausoleum, Qianlong also showed his unique style. It can be said that because of his unique elegance, the process of selecting the tomb has become an ingenious repertoire.
The folk story of "Qianlong skillfully dotted the Jinjing Cave" is quite similar to the legend of the site selection of Wu Zetian's Qianling Tomb in the Tang Dynasty. It is said that the Qianlong Emperor personally brought several cronies and guards and eunuchs to Shengshuiyu secretly, only to see that the green grass is like a tree, the flowers are in full bloom, and the flowing water is murmuring; looking at the mountains in the north, the dragon veins are meandering, the scenery is beautiful and magnificent; and the soil quality is verdious and pure, delicate and free of impurities. Satisfied, Emperor Qianlong took out a jade wrench from his bosom, buried it in the soil with its holes facing up, and returned to the palace. The next day, Emperor Qianlong came here again with a full set of honor guards, and the Qintian Supervisor was responsible for determining the acupuncture points. The old eunuch was an experienced feng shui master, and he knew that the emperor was well versed in this way, so he was extremely cautious. After determining the location of the gold well with a compass, he inserted a golden hairpin into the soil. Emperor Qianlong immediately ordered the two guards to slowly peel off the soil where the golden hairpin was inserted, only to see that the golden hairpin happened to be inserted in the eyelet of the jade wrench, and the audience was amazed and admired, and the prisoner was rejoicing, but also scared into a cold sweat. So, in the eighth year of Qianlong, the construction project of Yuling was officially launched.
For this emperor, who is good at dramatizing his life, it is not difficult to add a touch of mystery to his posthumous affairs in this way. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Emperor Qianlong's accession to the throne, he also staged a drama of "Zen concession" - passing the throne to Jiaqing, the fifteenth son of the emperor. However, the Qianlong Emperor remained in power after the Zen throne and actually continued to control the government, which made the Jiaqing Emperor a puppet worthy of the name. He also set the mausoleum of Emperor Jiaqing in Xiling in accordance with the Zhaomu system. Emperor Qianlong said: "Ten thousand auspicious lands are distributed in Dongling and Xiling. I have prospered for the prosperity of the country, and the descendants have multiplied, inheriting the past and opening up the future, each according to the order of Zhaomu, selecting and dividing things into things, and inheriting them in one line, so there is no need to be too far away. And Zunhua and Yizhou, the mountains and rivers are deep, and the aura gathers, among which there are many auspicious places, and there is no need to choose other places. Since then, the Qing Dynasty emperor formed a burial system in which the father was buried in the east and the son was buried in the west, which was called the "northern burial system". Therefore, the Qing Dynasty had the distinction of Dongling and Xiling.
Whether it is "Choosing a Tomb" or "Zen Rang", Emperor Qianlong has shown his unique spirit of entertainment. However, "chic" is different from tradition after all, so these actions of Emperor Qianlong have also aroused criticism from some people. However, in any case, this emperor who most resembled an "ordinary person" still won the affection of posterity, so much so that we can still see him frequently on TV today.