Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex

Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex

The Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex is located in a mountain valley on the southern slope of Liuding Mountain, on the right bank of the Mudan River, about 5 kilometers south of Dunhua County, Jilin Province.

The Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex was the burial site for the royal family of the Bohai Kingdom during its early Tang Dynasty period. The Bohai Kingdom was a regime established by the Mohe people in 698 AD, centered around the Mudan River basin. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty conferred upon its ruler the title of "Prince of Bohai," and established the region as the Hukan Prefecture, setting up the Hukan Prefecture (Bohai) Protectorate. The Bohai Kingdom maintained frequent exchanges with the Central Plains, adopting many of the Tang Dynasty’s systems and institutions. Its social economy and culture reached a considerable level before it was conquered by the Khitan in 926. In 1949, Yanbian University; in 1959, the Jilin Provincial Museum; and in 1964, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted archaeological excavations at the tomb complex.

Liuding Mountain stretches from east to west and consists of six contiguous undulating peaks, with the highest peak reaching an elevation of 603 meters. From here, a spur extends southeastward, with ancient tombs located on both sides of the spur, totaling more than 90 tombs. The tombs are divided into two types: stone-chamber tombs and stone-coffin tombs.

The tomb of Princess Zhenhui, excavated here in 1949, belonged to the daughter of the third king of the Bohai Kingdom, Dachenmao. Artifacts unearthed from the tomb include pottery, jade discs, gilded bronze ornaments, and a memorial stele. The stele is gui-shaped, measuring 90 cm in height, 49 cm in width, and 29 cm in thickness. The inscription, carved in intaglio Chinese characters in regular script, spans 21 lines and over 700 words, and dates back to 780 AD. The inscription shows that the Bohai Kingdom used Chinese characters, favored parallel prose, and excelled in calligraphy, making it of significant historical value. The tomb chamber is rectangular, with walls built from layered lava and basalt stones. The ceiling features a corbelled dome structure, covered with large stone slabs. A passageway is located in the middle of the southern wall, with a front corridor leading to the tomb. Both the tomb chamber and the corridor are paved with bricks.

The Liuding Mountain Tomb Complex and its unearthed artifacts reflect the material culture and social conditions of the early Bohai Kingdom, serving as important materials for the study of its history. In March 1961, the Liuding Mountain Ancient Tomb Complex was designated by the State Council as one of the first batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· First Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units