Supplement to the Ming Tombs of the Ming Shu King's Tombs
The five tombs of the kings of Shu are: the Tomb of King Xi, the Tomb of King Cheng, the Tomb of King Huai, the Tomb of King Hui, and the Tomb of King Zhao.
The excavations of King Cheng’s Tomb, King Huai’s Tomb and King Hui’s Tomb are not open to the public yet.
According to existing records, the Mausoleum of King Cheng is the largest tomb of King Shu among the ten mausoleums. Located at Qinglong Ridge on the west bank of Dongfeng Canal, the cemetery is 490 meters long from west to east and 140 meters wide from north to south. Along the central axis, there are the glazed tile-roofed gate, Shinto, Hengdian, Fangcheng Minglou and Baoding. Its grand scale is close to that of an imperial mausoleum.
There are also the Mausoleum of King Huai and King Hui in Qianjiang. The scale of the two tombs requires further investigation. It is speculated that its scale and underground palace architecture may be only slightly smaller than the tomb of King Xi, but it still has high scientific research value.
Among the tombs of ancient emperors, compared with imperial tombs such as the Ming Tombs in Beijing and the Qingdong Tombs in Hebei, the Ming Tombs in Chengdu have a lower status because they are only local royal tombs, so they are much smaller in scale. The architecture is also subject to certain restrictions, but still has its own characteristics.
The layout of the mausoleum group: The entire mausoleum area is a so-called geomantic treasure land that "hides wind and boundary water" and "gathers energy and concentration". The main body of the tomb group is the tomb of King Xi and the tomb of King Cheng, with other tombs distributed around them according to the situation. It forms a palm-shaped layout pointing to the center of the lake. This layout is different from the tree-shaped layout of the Ming Tombs in Beijing and the Qing Dong Tombs in Hebei, making it unique. The tombs are surrounded by mountains on three sides (north, east and west), forming a layout of "nearing the mountains and facing the lake". The mountain it relies on is Zhengjue Mountain, with an altitude of 534 meters; the lake it faces is Qinglong Lake. The lake disappeared without a trace due to historical changes, but has been restored through the development of the mausoleum area and the park where it is located.
There are a total of ten tombs of the Shu kings in the Ming Dynasty, namely five tombs of the Shu kings, three tombs of the Shu princesses, and two tombs of the county princes; they are respectively named: the Tomb of King Xi, the Tomb of King Zhao, and the Tomb of King Xi. The tomb of Wang Zhaofei, the tomb of the second concubine of King Xi, the Qianjiang Mausoleum of King Huai, the Tomb of King Huai, the Tomb of King Hui, the Tomb of King Cheng, the Tomb of King Cheng’s Second Concubine, and the Tomb of the Banbianfen County Prince. The tombs are centered on the Tomb of King Xi and the Tomb of King Cheng, and each tomb is distributed according to the situation.
The Tomb of King Xi and the Tomb of King Zhao were excavated. The circular hollow gold-glazed double dragon plate inlaid in the center of the main wall of the apse of King Xi's Mausoleum can be regarded as an art treasure of the Ming Dynasty. The Tomb of King Xi is more majestic than the Yongling Tomb (the mausoleum of Wang Jian, the former Shu emperor during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period), and more exquisite than the Ming Tombs in Beijing. In addition, in the Mausoleum of King Zhao, a pair of human-headed dragons imitating Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, are also unique in the world.
The Ming Tombs have exquisite carvings, vigorous calligraphy, rich underground palaces, and concentrated tombs. They are known as the most exquisite and concentrated underground palaces among ancient Chinese imperial tombs.