Han Tombs of Tianshan

Han Tombs of Tianshan

The Han Tombs of Tianshan are designated as a cultural heritage site under the protection of Jiangsu Province.

Originally named Shenyu Mountain, Tianshan is located in Tianshan Township, Gaoyou County, standing at an elevation of 49.55 meters and situated 45 kilometers south of Yangzhou. The entire mountain is composed of basalt, forming a typical volcanic lava area covering approximately 70 hectares.

There were originally three large burial mounds on the mountain. From May 1979 to August 1983, the Nanjing Museum conducted excavations over two periods totaling two years, uncovering Tomb No. 1 and Tomb No. 2.

Both tombs are large-scale vertical pit chamber tombs with sloping entrance passages, built in the "stacked chamber" style using wooden coffins. Tomb No. 1 was looted in ancient times, and Tomb No. 2 was burned, but the overall structure of both tombs remains largely intact. Most components of Tomb No. 1 bear inscriptions or carved characters indicating their names and orientations, providing important research material on this type of Han dynasty tomb structure, while also facilitating disassembly and study.

Among the unearthed funerary objects, lacquerware and wood carvings (now carbonized) are exquisitely crafted, especially the lacquered couch and complete sets of bathing utensils (basins, stands, spoons, lamps, etc.), which are rare finds from the Han dynasty.

Both Tomb No. 1 and Tomb No. 2 belong to the “huangchang tizou” (yellow core stacked chamber) wooden coffin tomb system. Historical records state: “The wooden inner coffin, side chamber, and yellow core stacked chamber constitute the ‘imperial burial system.’” This burial practice is rarely documented in historical texts and few excavated examples exist. The wooden coffin components bear inscribed or carved text such as “Guangling Shipyard official plank, width two feet” and “medical officer,” suggesting that the shipyard and medical officer may have been affiliated with the kingdom’s administrative institutions. Tomb No. 2 yielded a clay seal reading “Guangling Private Treasury.” According to the “Han Shu · Table of Officials” (Book of Han): “The Director of the Palace, a Qin office, managed the households of the Empress and the Crown Prince… as well as the Central Ch'ang-ch’iu, Private Treasury, and Eternal Corridor.” The scholar Gu's annotation states: “All of the above are offices serving the Empress.” This proves that the occupant of Tomb No. 2 was likely the wife of a noble king of the Guangling Kingdom.

Tomb No. 1 and Tomb No. 2 are situated side by side from east to west, male on the west and female on the east, in accordance with the ancient ritual of placing the honored position on the right. Both tombs contain remnants of “gold-threaded jade suits,” burial attire. The occupant of Tomb No. 1 is believed to have been a noble king, possibly Liu Xu, the first-generation King Li of the Guangling Kingdom. These two tombs form a joint burial site for a couple in separate chambers within the same burial mound and also served as a cemetery for a noble king and his family. Some smaller accompanying tombs from the mid-Western Han period have also been found nearby.

It has now been developed into the Han Guangling King Tomb Museum and is open to the public.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of Cultural Heritage Protection Units of Jiangsu Province