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Emperors in ancient China is believed to be the son of dragon. After the death of an emperor, there will be a huge and luxurious mausoleum built for the emoeror to live in the after life. Some of those tombs is really valuable for us to learn the history and culture. This Emperors' Tombs Tour carried out by China Dragon Tour allows you to experience the grandness of emperors' project.
Day 01 Hometown/Xi’an
Arrive in Xi’an greeted by the local guide at airport and then transferred to hotel.
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel
Day 02 Xi’an (B/L/D)
Visit: Morning visit take you to Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum and Terra Cotta Warriors which is about 35 kilometers east to downtown area of Xi’an. In the afternoon, visit Changling Mausoleum, the mausoleum of Emperor Wen in West Han Dynasty.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum was the mausoleum of the first emperor in Qin Dynasty. The project took 700000 slaves 38 years to finish. The underground Palace was gem-studded replica of imperial housing above ground. Booby traps with automatic-shooting arrows were installed to deter would-be tomb robbers. Heaven and earth were represented in the central chamber of the tomb.
The Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. 7000 Life size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations are the star features at the museum. They are replicas of what the imperial guard should look like in those days of pomp and vigor.
Baling Mausoleum is located on the north of Bailuyuan, 10 kilometers east to the downtown area of Xi’an. In order to save labor and materials, the mausoleum was built with one side connected with the cross section of mountain. Local people call the mausoleum and its background mountain “phoenix mouth”.
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel
Day 03（B/L/D）
Today, you will begin your Emperors’ Mausoleums tour in Five-mausoleum Plateau. The plateau is located in the middle of Xianyang Plain. In Western Han Dynasty, 5 emperors were buried in this region, hence the name. After that, almost all emperors chose the Five-mausoleum Plateau as the burial site. Totally, 9 out of 11 Western Han Dynasty Emperors were buried on Five-mausoleum Plateau.
Full day visit takes you to Changling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu, Anling Mausoleum of Emperor Hui and Yangling Mausoleum of Emperor Jing. In the evening, drive back to downtown area of Xi’an.
Changling Mausoleum is the Mausoleum of the first Western Han Emperor, Liu Bang. It is located at Sanyi Village, 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. The mausoleum is now 153 meter’s long, 135 meter’s wide and 32.8 meter’s high.
The site for the mausoleum was carefully chosen with Fengshui taken into consideration. It is located with mountain at the back and Weihe River in the south, showing the emperor’s highest social stature.
Anling Mausoleum is located at Baimiao Village, 18 kilometers east of Weicheng District, Xianyang. It is the mausoleum of Hui Emperor Western Han Dynasty. The perimeter of the mausoleum at bottom is 725 meters. The height is 25.22 meters. 150 meters east to Anling Mausoleum is the Empress Zhang’s tomb, which is much smaller. Because when his husband died, his title as empress was abolished. To the north of Anling Mausoleum is the site of mausoleum city in Han Dynasty. There are also 12 tombs buried with the dead emperor.
Yangling Mausoleum, the Mausoleum of Emperor Jing, Liu Qi, is located at Zhanjiawan Village, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. It is a joint tomb of Liu Qi, a notable emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD), and his empress, Empress Wang. It was built in the year 153 AD and covers an area of 20 square kilometers (4,942 acres). It 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.
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel
Day 04 (B/L/D)
Today’s visit takes you to Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor Wu and Pingling Mausoleum of Emperor Zhao.
Maoling Mausoleum is the tomb of Emperor Wu of Western Han Dynasty - Liu Che (157 BC - 87 BC), Maoling Mausoleum is located about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) away from Xian City. This mausoleum is called ‘the Chinese Pyramid' since it is not only the largest but it also held the richest burial contents of all the mausoleums of Emperors constructed during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD), and took the longest time, 53 years, to build.
Around Maoling Mausoleum, more than 20 tombs now still accompany Emperor Wu. Most of them are the tombs of imperial wives, meritorious ministers and worthy nobles. Here also to be found is the Tomb of Huo Qubing, which is much more famous for its magnificent stone carvings.
Pingling Mausoleum is located at Dawang Willage, Qindu District, Xianyang. It is the mausoleum of the 6th emperor in Western Han Dynasty. The perimeter of the mausoleum is 2700 meters at the bottom. The height is now 29.2 meters. To the east of the mausoleum, there is a tomb for Empress Shangguan, the empress of Zhao Emperor.
Accommodation: Sheraton Hotel
Day 05 (B/L/D)
Today’s visit will take you to the most famous Qianling Mausoleum as well as Princess Yongtai’s Tomb, Prince Zhanghuai’s Tomb and Prince Yide’s Tomb.
To the north of the Wei River and across the banks of the Jing River lie 18 tombs of the Tang emperors. Nineteen of the twenty-one emperors of the Tang dynasty [618AD-907AD] are buried here, with the impressive Qianling Tomb as the only burial site of two emperors --- Tang Gaozong (628AD-683AD) and his wife, the indomitable Wu Zetian (624AD-705AD) --- in Chinese history. Each imperial tomb is surrounded by a number of lesser tombs which are the resting sites of the princes, princesses, and chief administration officials, all associated with the buried emperor.
Qianling Mausoleum occupies a prominent site on the summit of Liangshan Hill some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of the Tang capital, Chang'an (today's Xi'an). The design of the tomb site replicates the city of Chang'an and in accordance with tradition is on a north-south axis. The southern approach is set between two smaller hills and the way to the Emperor's tomb is lined with stone animals as well as human figures. These include horses and ostriches, winged horses and a pair of stone lions. In all there are 124 stone sculptures and these are reminders of the fact that the Tang was very much involved with trade and diplomatic exchange with the world far beyond China's borders as there are distinct Western Asian and Greek influences in these sculptures.
Princess Yongtai's Tomb is 2km northeast to Qianling Mausoleum. Now the site of Qianling Museum is a chief satellite tomb to Qianling. Princess Yongtai was the grand daughter of the Tang Emperor Gaozong and his wife Empress Wu zetian. In the first year of Dazu(701 A.D.), she and her husband were killed by Wu Zetian because she tacked about the scandalous affairs between Wu Zetian and her men prostitutes. After mounting to the throne, Zhongzong ordered to bury his daughter –Yongtai and her husband together in Qianling.
Prince Zhanghuai’ Tomb is 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) southeast of the Qian Mausoleum. The tomb is 71 meters (233 feet) long by 3.3 meters (11 feet) wide and 7 meters (23 feet) deep. It consists of a paved path, arches, a patio and two chambers sited one behind the other. Fifty murals in an excellent state of preservation decorate the walls. Covering some 400 square meters (478.5 square yards) these murals illustrate scenes from the life of the unfortunate prince. One of the most interesting of these is known as the 'Meeting of the Guests'. This mural shows three Tang officials accompanying ambassadors from abroad such as Rome and Korea as well as ethnic groups from north-east China and elsewhere. During the Tang Dynasty Chang'an was a cosmopolitan city with a population exceeding a million. The mural serves to remind us that much of the prosperity of the Tang was due to their international relationships with more than 300 different countries.
Prince Yide’s Tomb comprises a paved way, three arches and seven courtyards together with eight niches that probably would have accommodated statues. There are two chambers, one behind the other; the whole being interlinked by corridors. The complex extends 256.6 meters (841.9 feet) in a north-south direction and is 214.5 meters (703.7 feet) in width and was richly endowed with a large number of fine artefacts. Over a thousand items of ceramic figures, tri-color figurines and pottery as well as items of gold, copper and iron have been found here.
Day 06 (B/L/D)
Full day visit takes you to Zhaoling Mausoleum and Zhaoling Museum.
Zhaoling Mausoleum is the mausoleum of Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD); he was one of the most brilliant rulers in Chinese history. Located in Jiuzong Mountain, 83 kilometers (51.5miles) from downtown Xian, Shaanxi, Zhaoling is the largest among the 18 mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty. It is also the largest royal mausoleum in the world.
Covering an area of 87.5 square miles, Zhaoling has 190 satellite tombs that have been verified with 37 which have been excavated. The owners of the satellite tombs include famous ministers, royal families and high officials. All five forms of satellite burials in history have been represented here thereby justifying Zhaoling as the most typical imperial mausoleum in China. The configuration of Emperor Taizong's tomb as it overlooks the satellite ones symbolizes the utmost authority of the emperor.
Zhaoling Museum features a Forest of Steles (not to be confused with the famous one at Shaanxi Museum). This is a collection of 42 vertical memorial tablets, which originally stood outside the tomb mounds, together with ten flat tablets from the interiors.
Should you need more information on this tour, would you please visit our website: www.chinadragontour.com or send us e-mail to eacenter@chinadragontour.com
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