The Qianling and Shunling Mausoleums of the Southern Tang Dynasty

The Qianling and Shunling Mausoleums of the Southern Tang Dynasty

The Qianling and Shunling Mausoleums of the Southern Tang Dynasty

The tombs are situated on the southern side of Zutang Mountain in Dongshan Township, Jiangning County, 23 kilometers from Nanjing (Zhonghua Gate). They are the joint burial sites of Li Bian, the founding emperor of the Southern Tang, and Empress Song in Qianling, and Li Jing, the second emperor, and Empress Zhong in Shunling. Qianling is oriented 9 degrees west of due south, and Shunling is 5 degrees east of due south. The two mausoleums are 50 meters apart and both face south. Currently, there are no architectural remains above ground.

Qianling is larger in scale. The upper part of the tomb is a circular earthen mound about 5 meters high and 30 meters in diameter. Outside the tomb gate, there is an arched gateway flanked by an eight-character brick wall coated with lime plaster, with the central arch painted red. The tomb chamber is divided into three main sections—front, middle, and rear—modeled after wooden structures on the ground. The walls feature carved columns, beams, and bracket sets, forming a rectangular layout. The front and middle chambers have brick domed ceilings, with one brick side chamber on the east and west sides of each. The rear chamber has a stone corbel-vaulted ceiling, with three stone side chambers on each of the east and west sides. There are a total of 13 interconnected chambers across the main and side rooms, linked by arched doorways. The tomb passage is 21.48 meters long and 10.45 meters wide. The front chamber is 4.5 meters long from north to south, 3.85 meters wide from east to west, and 4.3 meters high. Each of the four walls has a central arched doorway, and the four corners and sides of the doorways feature five hidden square octagonal pillars. These pillars are adorned with bracket sets of the one-dou-three-sheng style, supporting the lintel beams. All pillars, bracket sets, and beams are decorated with lotus, peony, and scroll patterns. The ceiling is formed by intersecting arched bricks, and the floor is paved with flat bricks laid horizontally. The middle chamber is 4.56 meters long, 4.45 meters wide, and features a relief sculpture of two dragons playing with a pearl above the north door lintel, with carved guardian warriors on either side of the door. Its structure is similar to the front chamber. A corridor 2.9 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2.3 meters high connects the middle and rear chambers. The rear chamber is the largest, measuring 5.9 meters wide, 6.03 meters long, and 4.73 meters high. The main entrance is a large square stone door made of bluestone slabs, with the ceiling painted with images of the sun, moon, and stars. The bluestone-paved floor is engraved with river patterns, symbolizing the heavens and earth under imperial rule. The chamber contains a bluestone sarcophagus platform, with six flying dragons on either side of the base. The platform is bordered with shallow carvings of scroll patterns and pomegranate flowers. Ten side chambers are equipped with brick and stone platforms for placing burial objects.

Shunling has a similar structure to Qianling but is smaller in scale. It has one fewer side chamber on each side of the rear chamber compared to Qianling, totaling 11 interconnected chambers built entirely of brick, without any stone carvings or reliefs. The tomb passage is 21.9 meters long and 10.12 meters wide.

Both mausoleums were looted in ancient times. Between 1950 and 1951, the Nanjing Museum and the Nanjing Cultural Relics Preservation Committee, together with relevant departments from Jiangning County, conducted excavations. Over 640 artifacts were unearthed, including pottery figurines, animals, birds, as well as bronze, iron, lacquerware, wooden items, and jade funerary texts. The discovery of these two tombs marked a significant achievement in China’s archaeological studies, providing valuable insights into the architecture, painting, sculpture, ceramics, clothing, and imperial tomb systems of the transitional period between the Tang and Song dynasties. They also represent the earliest excavated imperial tombs in the southern regions of China after the founding of the People’s Republic. To enhance their preservation, in 1956, reinforced concrete beams were installed in the rear chamber of Qianling. In 1962, drainage systems were added inside both tombs. Between 1981 and 1983, protective structures such as walls, “twin watchtowers,” Huabiao-style tomb guardians, bluestone bridges, stele pavilions, exhibition halls, and reception areas in Tang-style architecture were successively constructed. In 1984, the Southern Tang Tombs Cultural Relics Preservation Office was established, and an exhibition of artifacts unearthed from the tombs was held, displaying over 50 cultural relics and related materials.