The Three Royal Tombs

The Three Royal Tombs

The Three Royal Tombs is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Three Royal Tombs

The Bohai Three Royal Tombs royal burial complex is located on the north bank of the Mudan River, approximately

5

kilometers

northwest of the ruins of Shangjing Longquanfu. The tomb distribution area is very large, stretching about

1000

meters

from east to west and

500

meters

from north to south, containing three to four independent tomb compounds.

The “Three Spirit Tombs” are Tomb No.

1

within the Three Royal Tombs royal burial area, referred to as the “Three Royal

1

Tomb.”

The “Three Spirit Tombs,” or “Three Royal

3

Tomb,” face south toward sunlight and are backed by green hills to the north, with flowing water to the south, a stream on the left and a valley on the right, and they stand in distant view of the ancient capital. Ancient people believed this was an auspicious feng shui site, and about

kilometers to the northwest lies a place called “Fengshui Waizi” (Fengshui Bay).

1

The “Three Spirit Tombs”—also known as the “Three Royal

20

Tomb”—were looted during the Qing Dynasty’s Daoguang era and suffered severe damage. However, it is still possible to see that the tomb chamber was constructed from polished strip stones coated with lime plaster, featuring a central stone coffin platform. Based on relics found atop the tomb and nearby—including foundation stones, inscribed roof tiles, decorative bricks, green-glazed tiles, and stone lions—it is evident that an elaborate ceremonial hall once stood atop the “Three Spirit Tombs,” surrounded by walls.

80

In the late

90

and early

15

decades of the 20th century, cultural relic experts from Heilongjiang Province conducted geophysical surveys in the area around the “Three Spirit Tombs” using electromagnetic methods. The surveyed area covered

5

square meters, revealing that besides the “Three Spirit Tombs,” there were also

6

other sizable tombs, some of which featured murals. It has been largely confirmed that the area around the “Three Spirit Tombs” was one of the important royal tomb zones of the Bohai Kingdom.

Building on the geophysical survey results, a new tomb—the “Three Royal

2

Tomb”—was excavated. The “Three Royal

2

Tomb” is a large-scale Bohai stone-chamber mural tomb and was one of China’s Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in

1991

. The entire tomb structure is built underground, with only a slight protrusion above ground level. It consists of three parts: a passageway, an entrance corridor, and the main burial chamber. All are constructed from precisely cut basalt blocks and strip stones. The floor of the tomb chamber features a sunken groove design, with a neatly arranged rectangular pit in the center containing

15

human skeletons, mostly adults along with infants. The bodies are oriented with heads to the south, lying supine in an extended position. The corridor and inner walls of the chamber, as well as the ceiling, feature exquisite murals depicting figures and floral patterns—most of which have now peeled off. No burial objects were found inside the tomb. However, pottery fragments, inscribed tiles, and iron arrowheads were discovered in the fill soil. The “Three Royal

2

The No. 30 Tomb, located within the royal tombs area, features exquisitely constructed chambers but lacks burial objects—a rare occurrence—while also containing multiple burials, presenting researchers with a highly challenging subject of study.