Zhaoling Mausoleum
According to Old History of the Tang Dynasty - the Biography of Emperor Taizong, Zhaoling Mausoleum, which was built to bury Empress Zhangsun, was first built in the 10th year (636) of the Zhenguan reign, and completed by the 23rd year of the Zhenguan reign when Li Shimin was buried. The cultural relics management committee of Shanxi Province embarked on archaeological research and surveying of the mausoleum from 1962 to 1979.
The mausoleum was chiseled in the mountain that is 1,188 meters above sea level and leans against the highest peak of Jiujun Mountain. The mausoleum area, the grave and the satellite tombs constitute the most typical architecture group of the mausoleum. The vast mausoleum is 12 km in length and 10 km in width, and there are pines and cypresses around it. Most of the ground construction collapsed and can be hardly seen. The watchtower and the Xian Hall of the Zhuque Gate on the south side, the Xuanwu Gate in the north, and the wall base of the sacrificial altar are still vaguely visible. A piece of ornament of roof ridges was once unearthed at the site of the Xian Hall, and it is 1.5 meters in height, 0.65 meters in width, and the bottom is 1 meter in length. From this, we can see the grandness of the original Xian Hall.
In the mausoleum, there are over 200 satellite tombs. Owners of 167 tombs have been identified. In the excavation in 1964, 13 large tombs were excavated and 56 inscriptions on the memorial tablets and gravestones were found. The inscriptions on the tablet tell us that all of them were tombs of kings, princesses and famous ministers, such as Zheng Rentai, junior officer Chi Jingde and princess Linchuan. Various kinds of stone statues are preserved in front of many tombs today. In 1979, a museum was established at the site of the Zhaoling Mausoleum and many related cultural relics were on display in it for tourists.
How to Get There?
First, you should take the bus from Xi’an Railway Station or Yu Xiangmen cars yard to LiQuan (6yuan/ per); then you can get there by bus from LiQuan to BeiTun (4yuan /per) in about two and a half hours.
Opening Hours
08:00 AM - 18:00 PM each day
More Tips
(1) A lot of calligraphy, sculptures and paintings are kept in the Zhaoling Mausoleum, which offers precious materials for the study of traditional calligraphy and paintings. Among them, the inscription of Zhangling Mausoleum is really the sample of Calligraphy at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. Furthermore, the mural art and the glaze-colored pottery are very delicate and vivid, getting high praise from the whole country.
(2) Some high-grade tour products: pottery Terra Cotta Warriors (copies), the copies of Mural arts.