Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan

Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan

The Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan is a National AA-level Tourist Attraction and a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

As a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, it is located on the summit of Yingshan Mountain in Shaoxing County, Zhejiang Province. Carved out of the rock, the tomb faces east. It is a vertical earthen pit tomb with a plan in the shape of the Chinese character "甲" (jiǎ), consisting of a tomb passage and a burial pit. The burial pit is a rectangular vertical shaft, measuring 46 meters in length, 14 meters in width, and 12.4 meters in depth at the opening, with steep walls and no steps. The burial chamber is constructed from meticulously processed massive wooden beams, forming a double-sloped structure. The wooden coffin is placed in the central chamber and consists of a single-log coffin made from a giant round log. The bottom of the pit is lined with charcoal, the wooden outer coffin is wrapped in 140 layers of tree bark, which is then covered with compacted charcoal, and the burial pit is filled with blue clay. A defensive moat has been excavated around the foot of the mountain.

This royal tomb is grand in scale and unique in design, with burial customs that fully reflect the characteristics of the Yue kings' tomb system. The Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan is the first confirmed Yue king’s tomb to have been officially excavated to date, marking a major archaeological discovery of Yue culture and holding significant importance for advancing research on Yue culture.

"In the north there is the Qin Palace, in the south there is Yingshan" (one of China's Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries in 1998). The Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan, which had lain underground for 2,500 years, has been brought to light. At the border between Muzha Village in Lanting Town, Shaoxing County, and Shaoxing County Forest Farm, lies a unique small hill, approximately 300 meters long from east to west, 300 meters wide from north to south, and about 24 meters high. Its roughly square base and central elevated, seal-like shape have earned it the local nickname "Yingshan" (Seal Mountain). It is surrounded by moats formed during the construction of the earthen mound. Historical records indicate that this area was once densely forested and served as a logging site. After the State of Yue was defeated by the State of Wu, many Yue soldiers were sent here to cut timber as tribute to Wu. These woodcutters were referred to as "Muke" (Woodcutters), hence the hill was also known as "Muke Mountain" in its early days. Experts believe that due to the phonetic similarity between the ancient Yue word "Muke" and "Muzha," this is the origin of the village’s name.

Here, on Yingshan Mountain in Muzha Village, a "Muke Grand Tomb" — a royal tomb of the Yue Kingdom — that had lain underground for approximately 2,500 years (according to scientific carbon-14 dating) has been unearthed after nearly two years of excavation by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Shaoxing County Cultural Relics Protection Management Office.

Regarding the massive square timbers used to construct the wooden outer coffin of the Yingshan King’s Tomb, experts assert that the trees they came from were all over a thousand years old. This makes it easy to imagine that more than two thousand years ago, the land of Shaoxing was covered with vast, lush primeval forests. It was also on this very land, during the Spring and Autumn Period 2,500 years ago, that an outstanding monarch — Goujian — emerged. He not only established his capital in Shaoxing but also, during the prolonged struggle between Wu and Yue, dramatically achieved the glorious feat of defeating Wu, strengthening his state, and contending for supremacy in the Central Plains. His story of sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall to avenge humiliation has become a spiritual model of national perseverance and self-improvement.

The architectural scale, structural rationality, unique form, majestic presence, and remarkable preservation of the Yingshan Royal Tomb are rare in the world. Its rescue excavation has revealed the splendid ancient Yue culture from over 2,500 years ago. Domestic cultural heritage authorities have determined that the cultural value of the Tomb of the King of Yue at Yingshan is entirely comparable to that of the Qin Emperor’s Tomb. Hence the saying, "In the north there is the Qin Palace, in the south there is Yingshan." These eight words aptly summarize the extremely high cultural relic value of the Yingshan Royal Tomb.

According to the "Records of Yue" ("Yuejueshu"), "The Muke Grand Tomb is the tomb of Goujian’s father, Yuanchang." The rediscovery of the Muke Grand Tomb astonished experts who came from across the country. Though the Muke Grand Tomb has been buried for over 2,500 years, the remarkable preservation of its wooden structures is nothing short of miraculous.

Walking through the wide, long tomb passage of the entire royal tomb and descending the wooden ladder into the burial chamber, you will see that the chamber is divided into front, middle, and rear sections, with steps separating each. The inner chamber is constructed entirely from massive rectangular wooden beams, each coated with paint around its perimeter. The floor is laid with horizontally placed rectangular timbers, supported on both sides by diagonally arranged beams, forming a triangular wooden outer coffin. The wooden beams of the outer coffin have diameters of over 80 centimeters, and the top is covered with hardwood planks. The chamber is enormous, measuring over 30 meters in length, nearly 5 meters in width at the base, and more than 4 meters in height. The central chamber of the burial pit is also layered with a woven mat, in the center of which rests a large wooden coffin. The coffin is 6.10 meters long, 1.10 meters wide, and 0.40 meters in internal height, carved from a single log (a hollowed-out coffin formed by splitting a whole tree trunk into two). The interior and exterior of the coffin, as well as the rectangular beams inside the chamber, are all coated with lacquer on three sides, with some areas still retaining a mirror-like sheen that is truly breathtaking.

The Yue royal tomb is not only massive in scale but also highly scientific and meticulous in its filling and anti-corrosion measures. The upper part of the burial chamber is wrapped in about 140 layers of tree bark, followed by a layer of charcoal about 20 centimeters thick and over 1 meter deep. The entire burial pit is then filled with a substantial amount of blue clay. It is reported that the bottom of the burial pit is also paved with a 1.65-meter-thick layer of charcoal. Above the burial pit, before excavation, there was an oval-shaped earthen mound measuring 70 meters in length, 35 meters in width, and 10 meters in height. It is these layered "barriers" that have allowed this massive single-log coffin to remain largely intact for approximately 2,500 years.

The burial pit is over 20 meters deep, with clearly visible rammed layers and ramming pits. From the ground level to the bottom of the tomb, the structure reaches a height of 30 meters — such a structure has been discovered in China for the first time. The moat, typically reserved for the tombs of kings and emperors, is also well-preserved around the Muke Grand Tomb. At the four corners of Yingshan, clear water still flows today. Archaeologists say that the moat at Yingshan, preserved in such excellent condition, is truly rare.

Address: Yingshan, Lanting Town, Keqiao District, Shaoxing City

Type: Mausoleum/Cemetery

Recommended visiting time: 1 hour

Opening hours:

8:30-17:30

Ticket information:

Door price: 18.0 RMB

Transportation

Transportation: Take the sightseeing bus (West Line) from the train station or Bus No. 3 from the long-distance bus terminal directly to the site.

Further reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units