Former Shu Yongling tomb is the mausoleum of Wang Jian (847~918 AD), the founding emperor of the former Shu state during the Five Dynasties period, commonly known as "Wang Jian Tomb", located in the northwest of Chengdu City. Yongling is the only known imperial tomb built on the ground, and its scale is grand and well preserved, which can be called a masterpiece in the history of ancient Chinese architecture.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the accidental discovery of Wang Jian's tomb</h1>
Near the Old West Gate Three-Hole Bridge in Chengdu, there stands a tall and majestic rammed mound resembling a small mountain, which people used to call "Fuqintai". Later titles such as Fuqintai Street, Fuqin Brigade, and Fuqin Community were all named after them.
The name Fuqintai has been circulated for many years, and there are 27 streets and alleys in Chengdu named after the word "Fuqin", and many foreign tourists will ask: Who has played the piano here?
Old shadow of Wang Jian's tomb
Legend has it that Fuqintai was the residence of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun in Chengdu. At that time, Sima Xiangru passed through Linqiao and met Zhuo Wenjun, who was widowed by a rich family without marrying, and Sima Xiangru impressed Zhuo Wenjun with a song "Phoenix Seeking Phoenix". Talented and beautiful, she deduced an age-old story of selling wine, defying etiquette, and being loyal to love.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, in order to avoid Japanese bombing, people dug air raid shelters by the Fuqin Platform, and inadvertently dug a solid brick masonry, which archaeologists speculated was a tomb.
In 1942, after archaeological excavations by professor Feng Hanji, a famous anthropologist and former director of the Sichuan Provincial Museum, according to the confirmation of excavated cultural relics, it was found that the long-passed Sima Xiang was like Fuqintai, but it was originally the mausoleum of Wang Jian, the former founding emperor of Shu during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and the mystery of Qintai was revealed.
Archaeological excavation site
The official name of Wang Jian's tomb is called "Yongling", and the excavated cultural relics such as the book of lamentation and the inscription engraved on the treasure are consistent with the historical documents. According to the ancient ritual system, after the death of all emperors, their burial places must be given a name, that is, the so-called "mausoleum number", and the tomb number of Wang Jian's burial place is called Yongling.
Calling it "mausoleum" instead of "tomb" is the special name of the imperial burial house. The mountain tomb is a metaphor for its lofty status, so the death of the emperor is said to be "mountain collapse". The name of the mausoleum takes the word "Yong", which naturally means long-term.
Files related to Wang Jian's tomb
The burial places of Chinese emperors are also called "Yongling", including the Mausoleum of King Wu of Qin, the Mausoleum of Emperor Wen of Western Wei, the Mausoleum of Emperor Yuanzong of southern Tang, the mausoleum of Emperor Ming Shizong, and the mausoleum of Qingguan Waizu.
The former Shu king Jianyong Mausoleum originally had a large-scale mausoleum building on the ground, that is, the "Mausoleum Temple". According to reports, there are more than 100 mural walls of various types alone, which were demolished during the Zhenzong era of the Northern Song Dynasty, and their materials were used for the reconstruction of the Taoist temple "Yuju Temple", leaving only the Buddhist temple "Yongqingyuan", which was originally attached to the Mausoleum Temple, which was also burned down in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Since then, the Yongling Tomb has gradually disappeared, and the legend of Fuqintai has slowly covered up the historical truth...
In 1961, the State Council announced Yongling as a national key cultural relics protection unit. In 1979, the Chengdu Municipal People's Government established the Wang Jian Tomb Cultural Relics Depository, in 1990 the Chengdu Wang Jian Tomb Museum was established, and in 1998 it was renamed Chengdu Yongling Museum.
Yongling
Yongling covers an area of 56 acres, in addition to opening the Yongling Underground Palace, it has also built a historical relics exhibition hall - Shuyong Tower.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > aboveground imperial tombs</h1>
The tomb of Yongling tomb is hemispherical in shape, the diameter of the tomb is 80 meters, the height is 15 meters, and the bottom is surrounded by stone to form a 9-level mound circle, with 5 floors above ground and 4 floors underground. The stone texture is hard and can well protect the dungeon from wind and rain.
The original appearance of the underground palace
The former Shu Yong Mausoleum originally built a large-scale mausoleum and mausoleum temple, and the cemetery Shinto was lined with stone buildings, stone people, stone horses, etc., and the mausoleum temple was painted with a large number of ghosts, horses, chariots, palace concubines and royal attendants up to more than 100 walls.
During the Song Dynasty, Yizhou Zhizhou Ling Ce played a request to demolish the mausoleum temple building and build the Taoist Jade Bureau and became decadent. Today, only a stone man's body (a literary figurine) and a mausoleum remain, and other stone statues were later imitated.
Stone figurines
The former Shu Yongling Underground Palace was built on flat ground, with 14 red sand and stone coupon arches formed into ribbed arches to form the tomb interior wall and coupon roof. The outer layer uses tens of thousands of special large green brick coupon arches, coated with lime as a binder, and the top of the coupon arch is fortified.
Seal the mound
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > explore the dungeon</h1>
The total length of the underground palace is 30.8 meters, each depth is 23.40 meters, the inner space is 6.40 meters high and 6.10 meters wide, and it is divided into three rooms. The walls of the tomb and the top of the coupon arch were originally painted, but only the part of the tangled treasure flower pattern retained on the heavy coupon under the front of the third coupon arch in the front chamber remains.
Entrance to the underground palace
In the front and middle chambers, iron bars, chains, and iron rings for mantles and decorative objects are embedded in the top. Among them, above the coffin bed in the middle of the middle room, according to the excavated cultural relics, it is speculated that there was a gilded and gold-decorated canopy hanging. Other ornaments hanging in the tomb are also decorated with gold.
The front, middle and back rooms originally had wooden doors decorated with gilded copper door studs, copper head auxiliaries and skeleton copper ornaments. At the time of excavation, the wood part has long since decayed, but the ornaments and metal attachments on the doors are still well preserved and can be restored more accurately. It can be imagined how gorgeous and brilliant the interior of the underground palace was back then.
Underground Palace Tomb Gate (Modern Imitation)
Coffin bed relief
In the underground palace room is placed Wang Jian's coffin bed. The coffin bed is of the stone Sumire type, with a white minyu version on the top and a coffin on the bed. According to the preserved coffin traces, it is speculated that the original coffin is five-fold inside and outside, and it is the only remains of the emperor's coffin that can be seen in China since the Han and Tang dynasties according to the etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty.
On the south (front) side of the coffin bed are reliefs of kokuki and maiko
Inside the coffin, 15 kilograms of mercury (mercury sulfide) remaining in the silt at the bottom of the coffin were removed during archaeological excavations, indicating that the original coffin was filled with a large amount of mercury at the time of burial to prevent the body from decaying. A small amount of mercury still remains on the coffin bed.
The upper part of the coffin bed is carved with a cloud dragon play bead pattern, and the dragon body is originally covered with gold leaf. The upper and lower owls on the coffin bed are carved with the patterns of yang lotus, covered lotus and tangled branches of treasure flowers.
Lotus flowers on the coffin bed
The waist of the coffin is surrounded by deep relief pot doors on all sides, and each door is carved with a trick music, a total of 2 maiko, 22 musicians holding 20 kinds of 23 musical instruments, which is the famous Former Shu Yongling "", which is the most complete relief of the court band that reflects the chinese Tang Dynasty court music and dance found so far.
Twenty-four tricks
Researchers believe that Wang Jian's coffin bed is made of the Sumire seat, which is the Seat of the Buddha, and the music maiko shows Wang Jian in the Pure Land Buddha Country in the West, and the dancers are playing and performing Buddhist music and dance for him (in ancient China, the emperor of the human world was the Buddha).
On the left and right sides of the coffin bed, there are 12 half-stone statues of Lux with their hands as coffins, all of which are covered with armor and round eyes, and their facial expressions and postures of the coffin are different, showing the scene of the crowd of lux (gods) holding the heavy coffin bed tightly, and also setting off how heavy Wang Jian's body on the coffin bed is as the body of the Buddha.
Twelve Lux
The twelve gods are placed in the middle of the mausoleum, which is intended to drive out evil spirits, protect the tomb owner, and let the souls of the deceased rest in peace. This practice may have originated in the late Tang Dynasty.
In the last part of the middle chamber, 16 cm north of the coffin bed, a red sandstone cylinder with a diameter of more than one meter is placed, and there is a stone cake of the same stone material in the cylinder, and on the stone cake are placed clay pots and a pair of ceramic lampstands, which is commonly known as the lamp of the year or the lamp of the tomb.
After the tomb is closed, the burning oil lamp gradually exhausts the oxygen in the room and extinguishes itself, objectively making the air in the tomb inconvenient for the decomposition of organic matter, which has played a role in protecting the remains.
Coffin bed
Unlike later generations, which placed the Changming lantern at the feet of the deceased, that is, in front of the coffin bed, the Changming lamp of Wang Jianyong's mausoleum was placed on the head of the deceased, that is, behind the coffin bed, which may have been a burial custom in Sichuan at that time.
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Wang Jianqi</h1>
Wang Jian was an outstanding feudal ruler during the five dynasties of the late Tang Dynasty. Born into a poor family in present-day Wuyang County, Henan Province, he fell into the jianghu in his youth, and later joined the Tang Dynasty army and was promoted to general for military merit.
Wang Jian was loyal to the Tang Dynasty, brave in battle, good at strategizing, able to share the hardships of soldiers and soldiers, and won the trust of the emperor and the support of the soldiers. He served as the general of the Imperial Guard of the Forbidden Army of Emperor Tang. In 903, he was crowned King of Shu.
After the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907, due to the unanswered call for the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, it divided the territory of most of present-day Sichuan Province, Chongqing City, western Hubei Province, southern Shaanxi Province and southeastern Gansu Province of nearly 600,000 square kilometers, inheriting the Tang Dynasty etiquette system, and appointing a large number of descendants of former Tang Dynasty subjects to establish the Shu State (historically known as Former Shu).
Wang Jian Zhenrong statue, the only imperial zhenrong statue so far
During his reign, Wang Jian respected courtesy and benevolence, knew people well, tolerated outspokenness, was diligent in government affairs, actively rectified the administration of officials and advocated clean government, vigorously developed economic production, and achieved outstanding political achievements.
Under Wang Jian's vigorous rule, the former Shu state became the country with the strongest Chinese power, the most stable society, and the most prosperous economy and culture in China at that time, and the capital city of Chengdu also became the most prosperous and first metropolis in China at that time.
In July 918, Wang Jian died of overwork at the age of 71.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > national treasure-level cultural relics - the jade belt</h1>
The jade belt excavated from Yongling is a national treasure-level cultural relic, the only complete set of jade belt known from the Tang and Five Dynasties periods, and the only jade belt that can be identified as the jade belt used by the emperor himself.
Wang Jianyu big belt
The Wang Jianyu belt consists of seven squares, two sections of thallium tail, two sections of leather belt and a pair of silver buckles. Both the thallium and the thallium tail were carved with relief carvings, and the jade carving area reached more than 500 square centimeters, which was a huge jade system at that time.
The eight coiled dragons are the same and different, both neat and harmonious and vividly changed. The head of the dragon has deer-shaped double forked horns, the upper lip is comb-shaped, the leg joints have wings, the hair claws at the joints of the limbs are three toes, the tail is snake-shaped, and the whole body is covered with scales, and the claws are held high, swallowing orbs. The shape is strong and powerful, and the production is exquisite and delicate, which is the harmonious embodiment of power and beauty.
Jade belt (imitation)
As the embodiment of honor and mystery, the dragon is one of the main decorative patterns of ancient Chinese royalty. The shape of Wang Jianyu's large belt dragon has the significance of an archaeological standard, which provides extremely valuable physical materials for the study of the development and evolution of ancient dragon patterns.
The jade of the jade belt is white and clear, and the color is gentle and smooth, which is the best quality in jade. A precious inscription on the thallium tail records an important event in the Former Shu Palace, telling an almost mythical story:
"On the seventh day of the second half of the fifth year of Yongping's fifth year, ying confused the second tail. The tail main harem is made of fire at night, and the next day it is a treasure in the flames. The workers all knew: 'This is a great fire, and it is unbearable!' Shang: "Born a god, and an ability to damage!" So he ordered the jade worker to solve it. Its warmth and whiteness are abnormal, although the good work has never been seen. It is made of a large band, which is two inches wide in square and five points in six inches in the tail of the otter. If the fire is burning, the jade is burning, and the feeling of non-holiness is not holy, then how can it be perfected! Remember. ”
The gist of this inscription is to say: On October 27 of the fifth year of the former Shu Yongping, the calamity star Officiation flew to the tail of the twenty-eight stars, indicating that disaster was about to occur in the harem. Late that night, a raging fire suddenly lit in Wang Jian's harem, and countless treasures were reduced to ashes in the fire. The next day, a unique mass of precious jade was found in the ashes and preserved. As the saying goes, "Fire burns Kungang, jade burns", jade is most afraid of fire, so the craftsmen have decided that this piece of jade that has been burned by fire is useless. However, Wang Jian did not see it this way, saying: This is a natural divine creature, how can the fire damage it! It turned out that this piece of jade was unusually white and warm, and even the well-informed and skilled jade workers had never seen such a good jade, so they made the jade belt worn by Wang Jian.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the secret behind the fire</h1>
The fifth year of Former Shu is 915 AD, the former Shu state has been established for eight years, Wang Jian is also nearly ancient, like many rulers in history in the twilight years, his most worrying and tricky major event is to determine his heir.
The crown prince's appointment was quite arduous, and under the manipulation of the harem and eunuchs, Wang Jian had no choice but to make his youngest son Wang Yan crown prince in the third year of Yongping. After that, he always felt inappropriate, believing that Wang Yan was addicted to sound and color dogs and horses, not the ideal heir, and had the intention of changing the crown prince, so the open and secret struggle in the court was extremely fierce.
Whoops
The cause of the fire is unknown, after the fire, Wang Jianyizi Wang Zongkan, who was under the command of all armies, led troops to fight the fire, but Wang Jian closed the palace door, did not let people enter the palace, and let the harem treasure burn.
This fire in Former Shu and Wang Jian's practice at that time are still a mystery in the political history of Former Shu, and perhaps behind this exquisite jade belt is a thrilling story that has been buried by the dust of history, and there is a thrilling attempted palace coup.
Three years later, Wang Jian suddenly fell ill and died in the palace, and Wang Yan succeeded to the throne only seven years later, and later Tang's iron horse flattened the palace of Former Shu.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > unscathed gemstone</h1>
This fire burned down the hundred-foot building where Wang Jian collected rare treasures, and countless rare treasures were reduced to ashes, and although this treasure jade was intact by the fire, even a well-informed and skilled jade worker had never seen such a beautiful jade.
This unharmed Baoyu brought great comfort to Wang Jian, and Baoyu seemed to be his own embodiment: a natural god, and man-made disasters could not destroy it.
Wang Jian cherished this group of precious jade, ordered the jade workers to carefully make a large belt, wear it with them, and after his death, he followed himself under the Nine Springs as a martyr's product, and even the statue of Wang Jianshi in the tomb was engraved with this jade belt.
Wang Jianxiang
Today, a thousand years later, with the excavation and collation of the Yongling Tomb, many precious cultural relics of the Former Shu court have reappeared in front of people's eyes. This jade belt containing precious historical, artistic and cultural relics value has been designated as a national treasure by the expert appraisal team organized by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, which is indeed well-deserved.