Introducing a historical place of interest, please note that it is historical.

Xianyang

"The talents from Jiangnan, the generals from Shandong, and the emperor were buried in Xianyang." This is a saying widely circulated in my hometown. Since ancient times, there have been many talented people in the south of the Yangtze River and generals in Shandong. Why did Xianyang Plains bury so many emperors? It has always been a big mystery in my heart. It was not until later that I came into contact with urban planning and the protection of historical and cultural cities that I learned a little about Xianyang Ancient Tombs.

The mausoleum is a big earth mountain. Later, it was extended to the tomb of ancient emperors, symbolizing the supreme and absolute authority of feudal emperors. As the capital of the Qin Dynasty and the capital of ancient Chang'an, Xianyang has a long history of ancient tomb culture.

Speaking of Xianyang Ancient Tombs, we must mention Xianyang Plain. In ancient times, the Guanzhong area was still a large lake. Due to paleoclimatic changes, the lake gradually shrank, and the Wei River poured into it. The Wei River gradually developed and matured, forming a plateau in Weibei, and the Xianyang Plain was born.

Xianyang Plain has a high terrain and deep loess. It is bordered by Jiujie in the north and Weishui River in the south. It is a geomantic treasure favored by emperors of all ages. As early as the Shang Dynasty, Xianyang was originally a fiefdom for the descendants of Sitianguan Wu Hui during the Emperor Ku period, and was called Chengyi. In the late Yin Dynasty, Jili and Jichang once established their capitals here. After King Wu of Zhou conquered Zhou, he granted this place to Bi Gonggao and called it the Kingdom of Bi. Later generations called the place "Bi Ying", and Xianyang original was called Bi Yuan, Bi Mo or Bi Ying. Because there were five mausoleums built in the Western Han Dynasty, it was also called Wuling Yuan.

The superior natural environment of Xianyangyuan and its surroundings determines that it is not only the capital of the ancient Biying Kingdom and the Qin Dynasty, but also a highly dense area with the tombs of emperors and their ritual buildings of all dynasties in my country. . Looking at Xianyang Plain, there are numerous tombs of emperors from Zhou, Qin, Han, Pre-Qin, Northern Zhou, Tang and other dynasties as well as hundreds of accompanying tombs. They are like a huge natural imperial tomb museum, mysteriously and silently displayed in front of people, waiting for us. Go read, go appreciate. Traveling across the distance of time and space, through these desolate tombs on display, people seem to see the rise and fall of the Xianyang Plain, hear the neighing of the war horses of the owners of the ancient tombs, and read the wonderful chapters of the Xianyang ancient tomb culture.

The Zhou Tomb is the legendary tomb of King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou. It is now a key cultural relic protection unit in Shaanxi Province (there are also the tombs of King Zhou Cheng, King Kang of Zhou and Zhou Gong nearby). It is located in what is now Weicheng District. Lingzhen. Which dynasty's mausoleum is "Zhou Tomb"? For a long time, there have been divergent opinions and no consensus. Officially, it is regarded as a mausoleum of the Zhou Dynasty, but academic circles believe that it is a mausoleum of the Qin Dynasty. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, governments of all dynasties have had the custom of offering sacrifices to the Duke of Zhou in the Zhou Mausoleum. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Shaanxi Governor Bi Yuan handwritten the "Mausoleum of King Zhou Wen" on the stone tablet; during the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek and Song Meiling came to pay homage to the Zhou Mausoleum and planted trees in Xijing. The preparatory committee planted a large number of cypress trees here, and Zhou Ling seemed to be a foregone conclusion, worthy of its name. However, the archaeological and historical circles believe that according to the tomb system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, royal tombs are very concentrated, unsealed, treeless, without any ground markings, and have never been robbed in history. However, the tombs in Xianyangyuan "are all large hills, and there are many vines. It is very sad to excavate them all and expose them." Therefore, it is analyzed that the Zhou tombs should be located at the Zhouyuan site or in the Chang'an and Huxian areas. I secretly believe that these tombs, whether they are Zhou Tombs or Qin Tombs, are the oldest tombs on the Xianyang Plain, and are earlier than the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin. Therefore, they are the earliest ancient tombs with land in China. This is unique to any other ancient tombs. All incomparable.

In the twelfth year of Qin Xiaogong (350 BC), the Qin people moved their capital to Xianyang, built a large number of buildings, built palaces, and established the capital. Qin Shihuang spent ten years on campaign, annexed six countries, established the first unified multi-ethnic feudal dynasty in Chinese history in Xianyang Plain, and created the splendid Qin capital culture. However, "the Chu people burned the fire, but the scorched earth was pitiful." Gravediggers of the Qin Dynasty - After the Han Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an, it turned the ruins of the Qin capital into a royal mausoleum area and became a place to bury the dead. This was a common mentality of the feudal dynasty to prevent the restoration of the previous dynasty.

Among the mausoleums of the Western Han Dynasty, except for the Baling Mausoleum of Emperor Wen and the Du Mausoleum of Emperor Xuan, the other nine imperial mausoleums, cemeteries and buildings are all located on the Xianyang Plain. Among them, Changling of Emperor Gaozu, Maoling of Emperor Wu, Pingling of Emperor Zhao, Anling of Emperor Hui, and Yangling of Emperor Jing all had mausoleums, which became satellite cities of Chang'an City of the Han Dynasty at that time.

According to relevant data analysis, the names of the Han tombs on the Xianyang Plain have their origins. For example, Changling and Anling mean Chang'an, Yangling is in Geyang County, Qin Dynasty, Pingling is in Pingyuan Township, Weiling is in Weicheng, and Yanling is in Yanling. Township, Maoling is in Maoxiang, Duling is in Du County, and Baling is named after Bashui. As for Yiling and Kangling, although there are no documented records, they may be related to the place names. The construction of the cemetery is a national project of all feudal dynasties. "Next year after the emperor ascends the throne, the mausoleum of the great craftsman will be built, with an area of ​​seven hectares, one hectare in the middle, and a depth of thirteen feet. The altar is three feet high, and the tomb is twelve feet high." The layout of the Han Mausoleum is centered on the magnificent artificial rammed mausoleum, surrounded by mausoleum walls and gates, forming a cross-shaped symmetrical layout. This layout is in the same form as other remaining ritual buildings of the Western Han Dynasty - ancestral temples, Mingtang or Piyong. Consistent. On the top of the mausoleum, the system of the Warring States Period is inherited, and there are sacrificial buildings. Looking at the Xianyang Plain in the distance, you can see the high position and the magnificent mausoleum, which is very impressive. There is a poem by Zhao Bingwen of the Jin Dynasty: "No one can be seen by the Weishui Bridge. There is a unicorn lying on the high tomb of Mopo. The bones of eternal fame have turned into dust on the Xianyang plain."

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was a talented and broad-minded man who adopted a series of policies during his rule. The strategic measures had a profound impact not only on the Western Han Dynasty, but also on China's two thousand years of feudal society. During his reign, it was the heyday of the Western Han Dynasty and the golden age of the early feudal society in China. Maoling was a product of this era. In the 54th year of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Maoling was built in the 53rd year. When he buried Maoling, the trees on the land had already closed. Due to the long construction time of Maoling Camp, there were too many burial objects to be placed in the mausoleum at that time. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the peasant rebel army opened the Xianmen of Maoling. A large number of rebels moved the funerary objects in the mausoleum. It took almost dozens of days to move, but "the objects in the mausoleum cannot be reduced by half." Maoling is also the largest one in the Western Han Dynasty. According to the "Guanzhong Ji" cited in Volume 14 of "Chang'an Chronicle": "All the tombs of the Han Dynasty are twelve feet high, but Maoling is fourteen feet tall and one hundred and forty steps across." According to actual measurements, the bottom and top of Maoling's sealing soil are Square, the bottom side is 230 meters long, the top side is 40 meters long, and the sealing height is 46.5 meters. The Maoling stone carvings, located in front of the tomb of Huo Qubing, the Han hussar general, on the east side of Maoling, are carved according to the shape of natural boulders, paying attention to the inner expression, and only carving in key parts. The outline is natural and the style is romantic. It is the earliest and most modern stone carving in my country. Complete large-scale mausoleum stone carving art treasures.

The establishment of mausoleums near the tombs of emperors was a major innovation in the tomb system of the Han Dynasty. According to "Guanzhong Ji", the disciples of the Western Han Dynasty established counties in Qiling. Except for Baling and Duling in Chang'an, the five towns of Changling, Anling, Maoling, Pingling and Yangling were all located in the Xianyang Plain. . Due to political considerations, counties were established in the tombs of the Western Han Dynasty, and wealthy people from all over the country moved here to build cities, making it a prosperous and prosperous place. For example, at that time, a large number of "heroes from the county and country and capital of more than 3 million yuan moved to Maoling". Except for Changling and Maoling, each of the mausoleums had 10,000 households each, and the remaining 5,000 households each. Maoling had 270,000 people at that time. The total population of the five mausoleums exceeded one million, accounting for one-twentieth of the country. It is four times the population of Chang'an City. According to relevant records, many famous people with lofty ideals in Chang'an of the Han Dynasty once lived in Wulingyi. For example, the historian and writer Ban Gu and his family lived in Anlingyi. The great historian Sima Qian and the romantic and talented Sima Xiangru once moved to Maoling. The husband and wife treated each other as guests, and they raised eyebrows. Liang Hong and Meng Guang are from Pingling. The mausoleum system of the Western Han Dynasty was inherited by later generations. As an important measure to protect, enshrine and manage cemeteries, it still serves as a reference for the protection of ancient tombs today.

In the west of Jiutian Village, Shuikou Township, Bin County, the hometown of the ancient Bin Kingdom, there is a not too high tomb, which is said to be the burial place of Fu Jian, the former Qin king during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Fu Jian (338-385) was born in Tianshui City, Gansu Province today. In the third year of Shouguang reign of the former Qin Emperor Fu Sheng (357), Fu Jian killed Fu Sheng and established himself on his own. He removed the imperial title and was called the "King of Qin". During his reign, he worked hard to unify the Yellow River Basin and the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, subdue the Western Regions, and attempt to unify China. Unexpectedly, in the battle of Feishui, they returned with a great defeat. After the collapse of the former Qin Dynasty, he hanged himself in Xinping County (now Bin County) and was buried in the first year of Tai'an (385). Fu Jian's tomb faces south and faces an eclectic pattern. Its seal is 3 meters high and shaped like a pyramid. The locals call it the "Long-horned Tomb". There is an existing tombstone with the inscription "The Tomb of Fu Jian, King of the Former Qin Dynasty".

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, regimes changed frequently, and there were more wars than peace. The country was lacking in power and the people were in dire straits.

As the last dynasty of this era, the Northern Zhou Dynasty lasted for only 25 years with three generations and five emperors. Due to the restrictions of the social environment at that time, most emperors of the Northern Dynasties advocated frugality and advocated that funeral expenses should be frugal and courteous, and that tombs should not be buried. Since the tombs of the Northern Zhou Dynasty were not sealed or planted, and no sacrifices were offered after burial, the exact location of the imperial mausoleums of the Northern Zhou Dynasty has not been recorded in history books, and it has become an eternal mystery. According to the "History of the North", there were five emperors in the Northern Dynasty: Emperor Xiaomin Yuwenjue was buried in Jinling, Emperor Ming Yuwenyu was buried in Zhaoling, Emperor Wu Yuwenyong was buried in Xiaoling, Emperor Xuanyuwen was buried in Dingling, and Emperor Jingyuwenchan was buried in Gongling Mausoleum, but no burial place is recorded. In August 1993, a group of tomb robbers robbed an ancient mausoleum near Dingjiabao, Dizhang Town, Weicheng District. Afterwards, archaeologists carried out rescue cleaning of the tomb and unearthed the epitaph "Xiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu Wu of the Great Zhou Dynasty" and some pottery figurines and pottery. In June 1996, public security officers cracked the case and confiscated precious cultural relics such as the epitaph and Ashina's "Tianyuan Empress Dowager's Seal" gold seal. The location of the Xiaoling Mausoleum of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was revealed to the world. At present, it is known that the burial place of important officials of the Northern Zhou Dynasty is to the west of Emperor Wu, so the other four emperors of the Northern Zhou Dynasty should also be in the area of ​​Dizhang Town in Weicheng District.

Xingning Mausoleum is the tomb of Li Li in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. Li's father, Li Hu, was one of the eight pillar states of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and was granted the title of Duke of Tang. In the seventh year of Tianhe's reign in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Li Yuan attacked his father. In the first year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan proclaimed himself emperor and followed his father as Emperor Yuan. His tomb was named Xingning Ling and he was buried in the north of Houpai Village in the original Weicheng District of Xianyang. In front of the Xingning Mausoleum are stone lions, stone tigers, stone horses and other stone carvings. The carvings are simple and powerful. They are authentic stone carvings from the early Tang Dynasty. In August 1956, it was announced as a key cultural relics protection unit in Shaanxi Province.

The Sui Dynasty was a period of great turmoil in my country's feudal society. In 581 AD, Yang Jian destroyed the Northern Zhou Dynasty in the Northern Dynasty, and in 589 he destroyed the Chen Dynasty in the Southern Dynasty, unified the country, named the country Sui, and established the capital of Daxing (today's Xi'an City). Three generations of emperors were buried in the Xianyang area after their deaths. The founding emperor Yang Jian was the son of General Yang Zhong of the Western Wei Dynasty. During his reign, he carried out a series of economic, social, and military reforms. He was a good politician and military strategist. However, in his later years, he carried out extensive construction projects, created unjust cases, and massacred heroes, which intensified social tension. contradiction. In 604 AD, he was killed by his second son Yang Guang while he was ill, and was buried in Tailing (formerly Yangling District, Xianyang City), which the locals called Yangjialing. In the 20th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign (AD 600), Yang Guang was appointed crown prince. In 604, Guang killed his father and succeeded to the throne. During his reign, he was keen on civil engineering, spent money like water, and was debauched and violent. In the fourteenth year of Daye (618), he was hanged by Yu Wenhua, the general of the Forbidden Army. Emperor Sui Yang, commonly known as Emperor Sui Yang. After the death of Emperor Yang, he was buried in the Sanyi Cemetery and finally in Yangling in Xiyuan, now Wugong County. In the seventh year of Daye (611), peasant uprisings broke out in various places, and the Sui Dynasty was in danger. In the thirteenth year of Daye, Li Yuan raised troops in Taiyuan, occupied Chang'an, and established Yang You, the grandson of Emperor Yang, as the puppet emperor. At the age of 13, he respected Emperor Yang as the Supreme Emperor. In the second year of Yining (618), Yang You was forced to abdicate and died the following year. The mausoleum of Emperor Gong of the Sui Dynasty, Yang You, is located south of Rutai Village, Yanghong, Qianxian County. It is the most inconspicuous emperor's mausoleum.

Tang Tombs occupy a very important position in the construction of Chinese mausoleums. Among the Eighteen Tang Tombs in Guanzhong, nine emperors were buried in the Qianxian, Liquan, Jingyang, and Sanyuan areas of this city, while the Tang Xingning Tomb and Tang Shun Tomb are located on the Xianyang Plain. Except for the Xianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu, the Mausoleum of Jingzong Zhuang and the Duan Mausoleum of Wuzong in Xianyang, the rest of them are located on natural hills. Because the mountains serve as caves, there is no need for manual tamping of earth to build seals. Most Tang tombs have the mausoleum as the center, surrounded by square or approximately square divine walls, with divine gates opening in four directions. The difference is that there is an entrance to the south of the Tang Tomb, and the Shinto and Nanshen Gate flanked by ques and stone statues serve as the guide for the entrance. The stone carvings of the Tang Mausoleum are famous both at home and abroad, especially the lifelike Six Horses of the Zhaoling Mausoleum, the sixty-one statues of the Qianling Mausoleum with different expressions, and the tall stone lions of the Shun Mausoleum, all of which have extremely high artistic value.

Tang Zhaoling is located on the main peak of Jiuwei Mountain in the north of Xianyang City. The Jiuwei peak is tall and straight, with criss-crossing ravines. It is surrounded by water, with the Wei River in front of it and the Jing River behind it. The main peak is 1,188 meters above sea level. It is connected to the sky from a distance. It is majestic and has excellent terrain. The Zhaoling Project was designed by Yan Liben, a famous craftsman and artist of the Tang Dynasty. Its layout is different from the west-to-east layout since the Qin and Han Dynasties, and it is not the "hidden burial" system of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It is designed in accordance with the organizational system of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. .

According to the "History of the Five Dynasties: Biography of Wen Tao", "the palace system is as beautiful as the world." A gorgeous palace was built on the ground, with pines and cypresses, and giant locust trees and poplars. Du Fu said in the poem "Chongjing Zhaoling": "The spiritual sleep is in the winding hole, and the black bear is guarding the green. When you look at the pines and cypresses again, you can see five clouds flying."

The Qianling Mausoleum was built by Li Zhi, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. The tomb of Empress Wu Zetian and her husband is an excellent representative of the imperial tombs of the Tang Dynasty. Qianling Mausoleum is located on Liangshan Mountain to the north of Qianxian County. The inner city area of ​​the cemetery is 2.4 million square meters. There are three natural peaks in Liangshan Mountain. The North Peak is in the middle and is the tallest and largest in Liangshan Mountain. The two peaks in front face each other like a natural gate. There are turrets at the four corners of the sacred wall of the cemetery. Inside the South Divine Gate is the ruins of the Xiandian Hall. Outside the gate are 124 stone elephants. From south to north, there are a pair of Huabiao, a pair of Pegasus, a pair of Suzaku, and five pairs of stone horses. There are ten pairs of people, one stele with sacred inscriptions, one stele with no words, and 61 statues of Tibetan kings. There are one pair of stone lions outside each of the four gates, and three pairs of stone horses outside the north gate. The Qianling Mausoleum was built during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, and Wu Zetian's great achievements made it a famous and great project in history. The quality of the project was strict, the tunnel tomb door was built with stone strips, and the cultural relics were prosperous. It was a major achievement project of the feudal dynasty.

Shunling is the tomb of Yang, the mother of Wu Zetian. The Yang family is a descendant of Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty. He died in the first year of Xianheng of the Tang Dynasty (AD 670). He was buried with royal rites at that time and was called a tomb instead of a mausoleum. After Wu Zetian became emperor, in the first year of Yongchang, she honored her father as Emperor Zhongxiao and her mother as Empress Dowager Zhongxiao, and changed the tomb to Mingyi Mausoleum. In the first year of Tianshou, she honored her father as Taizu Emperor Xiaoming Gao, and the Yang family called her Empress Xiaoming Gao, and changed the name of Mingyi Mausoleum to Shun Mausoleum. Shunling Cemetery originally covered an area of ​​1.1 million square meters, was rectangular, and was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The inner city (imperial city) was surrounded by gates on all sides, and only ruins remain. The mausoleum is about 13 meters high, 49 meters long on a side, and covers an area of ​​0.2 hectares. There are more than 30 stone carvings in Shunling including stone figures, stone sheep, stone horses, stone lions, etc. Especially the stone walking lions and unicorns are magnificent. They are fine stone carvings from the Tang Dynasty and were announced as national key cultural relics in March 1961. Protective unit.

After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as the national political center moved eastward, Xianyang lost its status as the capital, thus ending the two thousand years of history of the construction of imperial tombs. Before that, the imperial tombs were forever fixed in Xianyang. , becomes a unique scenery.