Qianling Mausoleum
Of The Tang Dynasty
Location Of Qianling
 Qianling, the tomb of the third Tang emperor, Li
Zhi, and Empress Wu Zetian, is located on
Liangshan Mountain, 6 kilometers north of
Qianxian County seat and 80 kilometers from
Xi'an. Here also stands the Qianling Mausoleum
and Museum.
 Located on the peak of lofty Liangshan
Mountain, Qianling is the most typical and best
preserved of all the eighteen Tang mausoleums.
Introduction Of Li Zhi
 Tang Emperor Li Zhi (628-683) was the ninth
son of Emperor Tai Zong and Empress
Zhangsun. With the help of his maternal uncle
Zhangsun Wuji, he was made crown prince and
ascended the throne upon Tai Zong's death.
Though he was muddle-headed and weakminded and accomplished little, the flourishing
and stable state of early Tang was maintained
during the first years of his reign, thanks to such
veteran officials as Zhangsun Wuji and Chu
Suiliang who actually usurped state power.
However, once Wu Zetain moved into the
palace, things began to change in the Tang
regime power structure.
Introduction Of Wu Zetian
 Wu Zetian (624-705), also named Wu Zhao, was from
Wenshui, Shanxi Province and born in Guangyuan (then
Lizhou), Sichuan. Her father, Wu Shiyue, was a successful
wood merchant who was later appointed supervisor-in-chief
of Lizhou Prefecture. As a concubine of Tai Zong, Wu Zetian
cut her hair and became a Buddhist nun in Ganye
Monastery upon his death in 649. In 654, she was taken out
of the monastery and brought into the palace by Emperor
Gao Zong, who bestowed on her great favor by making her
his chief concubine. The next year the Emperor deposed
Empress Wang and named Wu Zetian his empress,
allowing her to participate in state affairs. He dismissed and
ostracized Chu Shuiliang and in 659 forced Zhangsun Wuji
to commit suicide. From then on, Li Zhi remained in poor
health, "faint, heavy-headed and sightless" as the
chronicles described him, and Wu Zetain attended to most
court affairs.
Wu Zetian-The First
Empress In China
 Once when Gao Zong intended to give up the
throne to crown prince Li Hong (eldest son of
Wu), the son was poisoned by his mother. In
reality Wu Zetain had taken power upon
Zhangsun Wuji's death. After the emperor's
death, she defied imperial prohibitions on queen
mother holding court and, after disposing of
emperors Zhong Zong and Rui Zong in short
order, took the throne herself and titled her reign
"Zhou," becoming the first empress in Chinese
history to rule the country.
Wu Zetian’s Tactics
 Well-versed in culture and history and excelling in
trickery, she was ruthless in her tactics. Upon
ascension, she recruited treacherous courtiers to
kill many Tang imperial clansmen and high officials.
She then put the blame on these "wicked" officials
when public sentiment grew restive, as a way of
relaxing the populace. But she also had talented
people enlisted, placing them in important posts,
and was receptive to criticism and advice from her
courtiers, somewhat like Tai Zong.
Wu Zetian’s Political Competence
 Her political competence first showed itself
when Tai Zong was still alive. Tai Zong had
a strong horse called Lion which was so
fiery-tempered nobody could tame it. One
day Wu told Tai Zong she could make it
docile with three implements: a whip, a
hammer and a dagger. First, she would flog
it tame with the whip; if that didn't work, she
would hit it with a hammer; finally, if
necessary, the dagger would cut the horse's
throat. Tai Zong appreciated that spirit.
Wu Zetian And Li House’s Dynasty
 It was in this way she controlled her
courtiers, maintained her autocratic rule for
over half a century and strengthened
centralized state power. Though she
changed the Li house's Tang Dynasty into
the Wu's Zhou Dynasty, she had trouble
choosing a successor and finally ordered in
her will a return of the throne to the Li
house's offspring.
Gao Zong And Wu Zetian’s Buried Place
 Emperor Gao Zong had ascended it to the
throne in 649 and after a reign of 34 years died ill
December 683, at age of 56 in Zhenguan Hall,
Luoyang. He was buried in Qianling in August
684. Wu Zetian was crowned in 684 and after a
reign of 21 years died at 82 in the Hall of Fairy
Dwelling, Palace of Rising Sun, Luoyang, in 705.
In May 706, she was buried with Gao Zong in
Qianling. Thus, it can be inferred that
construction of Qianling took between 40 and 50
years.
Qianling Mausoleum
 Located on Liangshan Mountain,
1,049 meters above sea level,
Qianling Mausoleum was flanked
by Leopard Valley to the east and
Sand Canyon on the west. This
limestone mountain was coneshaped and its top consisted of
three peaks, the highest of which
is the northern peak containing
the Qianling underground palace.
The southern peaks, lower than
the northern one and facing each
other, each has earth mounds on
its surface resembling nipples,
thus they got the name
Naitoushan (Nipple Hills).
 The Qianling, joint burial place of
Tang Emperor Gao Zong and
Empress Wu Zetian
The Nipple Hills
 According to Maps to the History of
Chang'an City, the Memorial Temple was
originally beside the Nipple Hills. In it were
displayed portraits of Di Renjie and 59
other noted courtiers. Being the most
southern mounds, the Nipple Hills formed
a natural doorway to Qianling Mausoleum,
adding to its magnificence and making it
unique among the eighteen Tang
mausoleums in the area north of the
Weishui River.
The Records Of Qianling’s Structure
 Qianling was a grand and imposing structure. The Maps
records: Qianling was originally enclosed by two walls.
Investigation and prospecting uncovered remains of the
inner wall, four gates, a sacrificial hall and some corner
parts of the outer wall. The inner wall, 2.4 meters thick,
enclosed 240,000 square meters with four sides in a
trapezoidal shape. The north and south segments were
each 1,450 meters long, the east wall was 1,582 and the
west wall 2,438. Four gates were each 2.7 meters wide.
The southern gate was called Zhu Que Men (Rosefinch
Gate), the northern Xuan Wu Men (Mystical Power Gate),
the eastern Qing Long Men (Black Dragon Gate) and the
western Bai Hu Men (White Tiger Gate). Describing
buildings on the grounds, the History of Administrative
Statues of the Tang Dynasty says, "in 798, 378 houses
were completed around each of Xianling, Zhaoling,
Qianling, Dingling and Tailing." Now only their sites remain.
The Inside Of Qianling
 What is inside Qianling still awaits
excavation. The above mentioned history
book recorded "the tomb chamber of
Qianling was closed up with a stone gate
sealed with iron to make it secure."
 An inscription on the Seven Tiered Tablet
reads: Emperor Gao Zong willed in his
last words that his favourite books and
works of calligraphers be brought into the
tomb.
The Surface Of Qianling Today
 What remains today on the surface of
Qianling is mainly carved stone works.
Exquisite and elegant, they have stood
upright on top of Liangshan Mountain for
over 1,200 years, and are demonstrations
of the skills of Tang carvers, gems of the
ancient Chinese art of stone carving. Most
of these stone pieces line the sides of the
spirit path, from outside Rosefinch Gate to
the north:
Ornamental Pillars
 The first carved stones are a pair of
ornamental pillars. Symbol of the tombs,
they are octaprismatic and their shafts,
plinths and crown were all decorated with
line carvings. These tall and upright
columns are impressive introductions to
the magnificent cemetery.
Winged Horses
 Next, because supreme rulers considered
themselves so upright their reign would be
prosperous, they also wanted pairs of winged
horses and rosefinches, representatives of
propitious birds and beasts, to guard a
prosperous underground life. The winged
horses, wings decorated with slender, delicate
lines, are in a flying gallop. The rosefinches, in
high relief, were beautifully shaped and
sturdily carved. It is said that because
rosefinches were a gift from Afghanistan for
the funeral and could serve as guards, a pair
of them were erected in front of the tomb.
 Further along were five pairs of stone horses
with stone saddles and stirrups only three
pairs of the original stone human figures
leading the horses survived.
Shi Ong Zhong
 Beyond the stone horses were ten pairs of
stone figures, named Shi Ong Zhong,
modeled after the emperors' bodyguards.
With helmeted heads and heavy long
robes, the figures stood with sword in
hands, eyes straight ahead, playing a
major role in creating a majestic
atmosphere in front of the tomb.
Uncharactered Tablet
 Further on were two stone tablets. The east one,
called Uncharactered Tablet, was erected blank
as a term of Wu Zetian's will. Her will read: "My
achievements and errors must be evaluated by
later generations, therefore carve no characters
on my stele." This blank tablet was 6.3 meters
high, 2.1 meters wide and 1.5 meters thick.
During the Song and Jin dynasties, however,
quite a few travelers did inscribe it, changing
the uncharactered tablet into a charactered
tablet. Altogether thirteen sets of inscriptions
were counted, though most of them have been
blurred by time. Only the 'Travel of the Military
Commissioner of the Campaign Commander of
the Jin Dynasty" in Nüzhen script, with a
Chinese translation beside it, was well
preserved. Now, the Nüzhen script has
disappeared. This rare script was a precious aid
for the study of Nüzhen scripts and the history
and culture of China's minority nationalities.
Seven-section Stele at Qianling
 The west tablet, Tablet Telling
the Emperor's Deeds, was
composed of seven tiers and
thus also named Seven-Tiered
Tablet. It was 6.3 meters high
and 1.9 meters wide. Written by
Wu Zetian and carved in the
handwriting of Emperor Zhong
Zong, the inscription, totaling
more than 8,000 characters,
sang the praises of Emperor
Gao Zong for his military and
administrative achievements. All
the characters and symbols
were filled with gold powder,
brightening the cemetery.
Stone statues of foreign envoys at
Qianling
 Beyond the stone tablets and on the right side
of the spirit path were 61 stone figures
attesting to the Tang Dynasty's power and
prosperity as well as its friendly relations with
minority peoples in frontier areas and with
other central Asian countries. These 6I figures
of chief-rains and foreign guests were ordered
here by Wu Zetian to commemorate the
minority chieftains and foreign special envoys
who attended the funeral. Wearing tightsleeved clothes, broad belts and leather shoes,
these figures cup their hands in front in an
attitude of prayer. More than half of them had
their heads defaced, but the only two, in the
western row, whose heads are complete, have
prominent noses and deep eyes, and were
clearly from the Western Regions or Central
Asia. Some of the figures had their nationalities,
official titles and names on their backs.
Stone lion
 In front of each of the inner
wall's four gates were a pair
of stone lions; the best are
the pair by Rosefinch Gate.
Of heroic proportions, this
pair had curved hair, bulging
eyes, big mouths and sharp
teeth, presenting perfect
images of stem and fiercelooking lions. They are
symbols of dignified,
autocratic Tang rulers.
Attendants’ Tombs In Qianling
 According to the chronicles, Qianling mausoleum
covered an area of about 40 square kilometers, within
which are scattered many attendants' tombs, 17 of them
located in the southeast section. Since 1949, tombs of
Princess Yong Tai, Xue Yuanchao, Li Jingxing, Prince
Zhang Huai and Prince Yi De have been unearthed.
They are substantially the same, both in surface
appearance and in underground structure: each tomb
was surrounded by a wall, to the south of which were
ornamental pillars, stone figures and stone sheep in
precise order. The tombs themselves were composed of
a passage way, an archway, a shaft, a corridor and
ante-and rear-chambers. On two sides of the shaft were
a series of niches containing a variety of three-color
figurines, pottery and porcelain articles.
Painting Of Maids
 Frescoes adorned the walls and tops of the
passage, the archway, the corridor and
chambers. Some were "Painting of
Maidservants," reflecting the parasitic imperial
life; some were architectural designs,
reflecting Tang Dynasty architecture; others
are "Painting of Polo Game" and ''Paintings of
Envoy and Guests," depicting cultural
exchanges and the friendly relationships
between China and the world. Rich and
extensive in themes, well composed and
skillfully executed, these frescoes illustrate the
high level of Tang paintings and add a new
chapter to China's ancient painting history.
 In addition, the stone gate, the memorial tablet
and outer coffin within the tomb were
decorated with line sculptures of figures,
animals and plants.
Cultural Relics At Qianling
 Though all the attendant tombs
had suffered from looting, there
were still numbers of cultural
relics to be found. As many as
4,300-odd articles were unearthed
from the three tombs of Princess
Yong Tai, Prince Yi De and Prince
Zhang Huai. All these relics are
exquisitely made and vivid
representations, each peculiar in
its own way.
 Mural of procession at attendant
tombs of Princess Yong Tai,
Prince Yi De and Prince Zhang
Huai at Qianling
The Three-color Figurines
 The three-color figurines from Princess
Yong Tai's tomb were delicate and colorful
and decorated with exotic line carvings.
The 300 objects of gold, jade, bronze and
tin, all ingeniously cast and delicately
carved, look pleasing and tasteful.
Fragments Of Funeral Eulogium
 Out of Prince Yi De's tomb have come fragments of
funeral eulogium carved concavely on jade, with the
background inlaid in gold, and painted pottery figurines
of riders, with horses gilt faced and figures fully armed
(and each dressed differently), all cultural treasures.
Horsemen differed in expressions and postures: Some
are playing the flute, some blowing the trumpet and still
others waving a whip to spur the horse. Unearthed from
the tomb of Prince Zhang Huai, the figurines of civil
officials, warriors and painted tomb guarding beasts, all
over one meter high, are lively shaped. All these are
materials contributing to the study of Tang Dynasty’s
politics, economy and culture.