King's Tomb on Yinshan Mountain

King's Tomb on Yinshan Mountain

The King's Tomb on Yinshan Mountain is a cultural tourism attraction.

As a national key cultural relics protection unit, it is located atop Yinshan 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. Its four walls are steep and feature no steps. The burial chamber is constructed from meticulously processed large beams, forming a double-sloped roof. The wooden coffin is placed in the central chamber and is a single-log coffin made from a giant round log. The bottom of the pit is paved with charcoal, the wooden outer coffin is wrapped in 140 layers of tree bark, which is then covered with compacted charcoal, and the interior of the pit is filled with blue clay. A defensive moat has been excavated around the base of the mountain.

This royal tomb is grand in scale and unique in design, and its burial customs fully reflect the characteristics of the royal tomb system of the Yue Kingdom. The Tomb of the Yue King on Yinshan Mountain is the first confirmed Yue royal tomb to have been officially excavated to date. It is a major archaeological discovery related to Yue culture and holds significant importance for advancing research on Yue culture.

"In the north there is the Qin Palace, in the south there is Yinshan" (one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in China in 1998). The Tomb of the Yue King on Yinshan Mountain, which had lain dormant underground for 2,500 years, has emerged into the light. Located at the border between Muzha Village in Lanting Town, Shaoxing County, and the Shaoxing County Forest Farm, this distinctive small hill stretches approximately 300 meters from east to west, 300 meters from north to south, and stands about 24 meters high. Because its plan is roughly square and it rises prominently like a seal, it is commonly known as "Yinshan" (Seal Mountain). It is surrounded by moats formed by earth excavation during the construction of the earthen mound. Historical records indicate that the area was once densely forested and used as a logging site. After the Yue Kingdom was defeated by the Wu Kingdom, many Yue soldiers were sent here to cut timber as tribute to Wu. These woodcutters were referred to at the time as "Muke" (woodcutters), and thus the mountain was also known early on as "Muke Mountain." Experts believe that because the Yue word "Muke" sounds similar to "Muzha" (Wooden Palisade), this is the origin of the village name Muzha.

Here, on Yinshan Mountain in Muzha Village, lies the "Muke Grand Tomb," a Yue royal tomb that had been buried underground for approximately 2,500 years (according to scientific carbon-14 dating). 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, it has now been brought to light. Experts assert that the massive square logs used to construct the wooden outer coffin of the Yinshan Yue King’s Tomb all come from trees 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. Likewise, during the Spring and Autumn period 2,500 years ago, this same land gave birth to an outstanding ruler—Goujian. He not only established his capital in Shaoxing but also, amid the seesaw battles of the Wu-Yue struggle, 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 national symbol of perseverance and striving for strength. The King's Tomb on Yinshan Mountain is exceptional in terms of the grandeur of its architectural scale, the rationality of its structure, the uniqueness of its design, the magnificence of its presence, and the excellent state of its preservation. Its rescue excavation has brought back to life 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 Yue King on Yinshan Mountain is entirely comparable to that of the Qin royal tombs. Hence, it enjoys the reputation of "In the north there is the Qin Palace, in the south there is Yinshan." These eight words aptly summarize the extraordinarily high cultural value of the Yinshan Yue King’s Tomb.