Shuanggudui Ancient Tombs

Shuanggudui Ancient Tombs

Shuanggudui Ancient Tombs are a cultural heritage protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

Shuanggudui Ancient Tombs are located in Zhangwei, Suining County.

Shuanggudui was originally an administrative village under Yaoji Town, Suining County, but in 2002 it was merged into Jiaolong Village and is now a natural village. Within the village, there is a large tomb known as the West Mound, with a diameter of over 80 meters and a height of 22 meters. To the east of the village lies a smaller tomb called the East Mound, which has a diameter of over 50 meters and a height of 15 meters. The two mounds are 200 meters apart. In March 1986, the Shuanggudui Ancient Tombs were designated as a provincial-level key cultural relic site by Jiangsu Province.

Who exactly is buried in the Shuanggudui Tombs? Folklore suggests that they are the tombs of Fan Dan from the Eastern Han Dynasty (the small eastern mound) and Shi Chong from the Western Jin Dynasty (the large western mound). In 2002, archaeology experts from Jiangsu Province preliminarily inferred that, due to the site's proximity to the ancient city of Xiapi, the tombs may belong to rulers of the Xiapi Kingdom from a certain era. Of course, inference is not conclusion—the identities of those buried in Shuanggudui remain an unsolved mystery. Nevertheless, despite the lack of a definitive answer about the tombs’ owners, the various legends passed down through generations have imbued the site’s cultural relics with an air of mystery.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units in Jiangsu Province