Hanyangling Mausoleum Museum
Location:In Zhangjiawan Village, crossing Jingyang County, Weicheng County and Gaoling County City of Weicheng Area.
Ticket Price: About 90 yuan per person.
Opening Time: 8:30-17:30.
Introduction
As the largest museum in China, Hanyangling Mausoleum Museum is the joint mausoleum of Liu Qi (known as the Jingdi of Han Dynasty), a notable emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD), and his empress, Empress Wang.
It took about 28 years to complete this mausoleum from 153 BC in ancient China. This mausoleum was proved unlooted through excavation; and thousands of glazed naked potteries were also discovered. These historical potteries are all of a high artistic value with a different style of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Except the potteries, there were also many valuable discovers, like Han Palace
Structure of the Mausoleum
Hanyangling Mausoleum is a magnificent and abundant cultural relic, comprising the emperor's tomb, empress' tomb, the south and north burial pits, ceremonial site, human sacrifice graveyard and criminals' cemetery. The mausoleum is neatly arranged, centered with the emperor's tomb, revealing the strict hierarchical social structure. The Outside Pits Exhibition Hall was opened in 2006 and is the first underground museum in China.
Emperor's Tomb
The emperor's tomb is at the center of the mausoleum. The subterranean chamber has passages on its four sides, thus the shape assembles the Chinese character '亚'. This type of tomb was considered the best in ancient time. Around the tomb is a tall wall on each side, with four big gates at the middle of each wall. Brick chessboard and the biggest tile have been found at this site.
There are 86 outside pits laid with burial objects. These pits vary in size, with the length ranging from 4 meters to over 100 meters. The excavated outside pits were made to be enclosed space, like wooden cases. From the vestiges, those pits are inferred to have original column frames, separating boards, doors and brick floor. The unearthed burial objects include naked pottery figurines, chariots and horses, weapons, articles of everyday use and a large number of pottery animals.
Empress' Tomb
The empress' tomb is in the east, 450 meters away from the emperor's tomb and is much smaller in comparison. It is also square, and is 350 meters in length. A wall made of pounded earth encircles the tomb, with four gates on each side. The underground chamber is also laid out like the character '亚'. The earth on top of the tomb measures 24.49 meters. Thirty-one outside pits have been found around it.
South and North Burial Pits
The south burial pits are located to the southeast of the emperor's tomb while the north burial pits are to the northwest of the emperor's tomb. Both of them have 24 small pits of varying sizes, occupying an area of 96,000 square meters respectively. Fourteen pits in the south burial location were discovered in the 1990s. The excavated articles amount to over 3,000, surpassing the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Articles include the painted pottery figures, weapons and utensils, which fully represent the strong army in Han Dynasty.
Compared with the Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses, the pottery figures are 1/10 of the actual objects and vary in the sex and position. Some of them are sculptures of valiant female warriors, gentle and elegant servants, singers or dancers in traditional dress with long waving sleeves Naked and armless pottery figures are vivid and lifelike, claiming to be the 'Oriental Apollo and Venus'.
Luojing Stone Site (Ancestral Temple Site)
To the southeast of the emperor's tomb is the Luojing Stone Site. It is an important and the largest discovered ceremonial site of the royal cemetery. The site is surrounded by moats and is almost square, 260 meters in length. A platform made of pounded earth stands in the center. It is the earliest markstone in the world, which is used in measuring. It has twelve doors evenly distributed on four sides.
Outside the Pits Exhibition Hall
This underground museum covers an area of about 7,850 square meters. It has been modernized to exhibit ten outside pits surrounding the emperor's tomb. To protect the culture relic, the pits are encased with toughened glass to create the similar environment as it was before. Suspended corridors made of glass make it more convenient for visiting. Through the glass on the right, on the left or under foot, visitors can see pottery warriors, animals, chariots and horses. Visitors can see archaeologists excavating as well. A kind of imaging technique concerning with optical illusion has been applied in the museum. Through the illusive characters and scenes, the life of Liu Qi, the anecdote of Empress Wang and the archaeological discoveries in the mausoleum are presented.
The profound culture of Han Dynasty, the beautiful and gay relics, the unique underground site museum and beautiful park scenery makes Hanyangling Mausoleum Museum a unique large-scale culture-oriented attraction.
More Info:
Emperor Jingdi: an emperor with complicated personality