Shijia Mountain

Shijia Mountain

Shijia Mountain is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Located on the southern slope of Shijia Mountain at Ciyun Ridge. Wu Hanyue (912–952) was the consort of Qian Yuanguan, the second king of the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties period, and the mother of Qian Hongchu, the last king of the Wuyue Kingdom. Volume Four of the *Wuyue Historical Records* states: “The lady, Qian — styled Hanyue, was the daughter of Wu Ke, the Central Direct Commandant. From childhood she was gentle and virtuous, serving King Wenzhong. At that time, Lady Gongmu especially favored her. The lady was skilled in playing the huqin (a type of bowed instrument), had a kind and charitable disposition, and was frugal. She greatly admired the teachings of Huang-Lao (Taoism), often wearing Daoist robes at home, and otherwise dressed only in cloth or silk... She was posthumously honored as the Virtuous Lady of Shunde of the Wuyue Kingdom. She passed away at the age of fifty-nine.” Wu Hanyue died in June of the second year of the Guangshun era of the Later Zhou Dynasty (952), and was buried in August of the same year. The tomb was excavated in 1958 and has been preserved on-site in its original condition.

The tomb is rectangular, measuring 760 cm in total length, 287 cm in width, and 310 cm in height, and is divided into front and rear chambers. The front chamber is 260 cm long, while the rear chamber is 500 cm long, with two doors. The doors are 230 cm high, 173 cm wide, and 43.8 cm thick, shaped like a gui (a ceremonial tablet), with square stone pillars standing on either side, each 172 cm high. Above the pillars is a stone lintel, which is 72 cm high. Except for the door frames of the front and rear chambers, which were carved from single pieces of bluestone, the rest of the structure is built from red sandstone slabs joined with mortise-and-tenon joints. The tomb was looted in ancient times, leaving very few burial objects.

The reliefs inside the tomb are exquisitely crafted and well-preserved. On the two door leaves of the front chamber, there are symmetrical carvings of two female attendants standing 88 cm tall, with double buns in their hair, each adorned with a flower hairpin at the front and top of the bun. They wear cross-collared, wide-sleeved long robes with sashes hanging loosely beside them, and pleated skirts that trail over their feet. Their hands hold a banner pole together at their chests, with the banner fluttering in the wind, creating a dynamic effect. Their faces are full and round, and their postures are elegant. The carvings are finely executed and proportioned. The rear chamber served as the coffin room for the tomb’s occupant. The upper sections of the four walls are carved with lotus-like floral motifs; the middle sections feature carvings of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise; while the lower sections depict the twelve zodiac animals. The Azure Dragon is carved on the east wall, 139 cm above the ground, measuring 245 cm in length and 70 cm in height, depicted in a soaring posture with its head raised and claws extended, looking majestic and powerful. The White Tiger is carved on the west wall, 250 cm in length with a slender body, a dragon-like head, and sharp claws. The Vermilion Bird on the south wall has been destroyed. The Black Tortoise on the north wall is 40 cm high and 42 cm wide, with the turtle's head facing downward and its tail curled upward; the snake coils around the front half of the turtle’s body two and a half times, with its head coiled downward. Below the walls of the rear chamber, 22 cm above the ground, there are relief carvings of the twelve zodiac animals, each positioned in a horseshoe-shaped niche. There are three niches on each wall, but three of these (on the two doors and one at the center of the north wall) have been destroyed, while the remaining eight are largely intact. These eight intact niches are: three on the east and west walls each, and two on the north wall. Each niche is 101 cm high, 40 cm wide, and 4.5 cm deep, with the figures 88 cm tall, all depicting young Daoist apprentices standing upright. The apprentices have topknots, wear square caps with holes for hairpins, and have ribbons hanging down to their chins. They wear square-collared, cross-collar, wide-sleeved long robes and long trailing skirts, with square-toed shoes, and their hands are clasped in front of their chests, each holding a small figure representing one of the zodiac animals.

The ceiling of the rear chamber features an astronomical chart, with celestial bodies and the twenty-eight lunar mansions carved in intaglio lines. During the Cultural Revolution, the female figures on the door leaves and the faces of the twelve zodiac carvings were damaged by stone impacts. The tomb’s carvings were originally painted in color, but have faded due to oxidation. A single stone pedestal remains in the tomb, measuring 135 cm in both length and width, with hollow-carved horseshoe-shaped patterns on each leg, similar in shape to the pedestals depicted in Yan Liben’s *Portraits of Emperors Through the Ages*. There are also fragments of celadon and white porcelain, with 13 restorable items including pots, jars, plates, bowls, and dishes.

In April 1961, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province designated Wu Hanyue’s Tomb as a Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In April 1981, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province re-designated it as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.