North Dynasties Tombs Cluster in Ci County

Ci County North Dynasties Tombs Cluster

The Ci County North Dynasties Tombs Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

North Dynasties Tombs Cluster

Along the Zhang River near Jiangwucheng in the southwestern part of Ci County, there are over 130 earthen mounds of varying sizes. This is an ancient tomb complex. For a long time, these mounds were believed to be the seventy-two decoy tombs of Cao Cao.

This doesn't seem entirely baseless. Historically speaking, Ye City, the capital of the Six Dynasties located in Linzhang, was adjacent to Ci County and only 15 kilometers from the county seat. After defeating Yuan Shao, Cao Cao made Ye his capital, where he built the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and trained military officers in Jiangwucheng, also in Ci County. Cao Cao was indeed buried in this area near Ci County, not far from Ye City. From a societal perspective, after the Song Dynasty, Cao Cao gradually came to be seen as a treacherous figure in people's minds. Especially after the Yuan Dynasty, the trend of vilifying Cao Cao intensified. In the late Yuan Dynasty, Luo Guanzhong’s *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* portrayed Cao Cao as a cunning and deceitful character. In Chapter 78, it even describes Cao Cao on his deathbed giving the order to “set up seventy-two decoy tombs outside Jiangwucheng in Zhangde Prefecture, so that no one will know where I am buried, for fear my tomb might be excavated.” Since the Song Dynasty, many poems have been written about the decoy tombs, such as: “More than seventy decoy tombs remain, believed to ensure everlasting safety” (Jing Tang); “Why need a forest of tombs for a single coffin? Who else would bear such a burden as you?” (Fan Chengda); “In life, he deceived the people and severed the Han lineage; in death, he deceived them with decoy tombs” (Yu Yingfu). These were all the result of hearsay and misinformation, without any on-site investigation.

These ancient tombs are actually the burial sites of emperors and royal family members from the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi periods of the Northern Dynasties, and have nothing to do with Cao Cao. From 534 to 577 AD, the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi successively established their capitals in Ye City. Adjacent Ci County became the burial ground for the two dynasties’ imperial clans. This North Dynasties Tomb Cluster spans over 100 square kilometers and currently has more than 130 ancient tombs, all with large earthen mounds. For example, the tomb of Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei, Yuan Shanjian, commonly known as the “Emperor’s Tomb,” still has a mound remnant 30 meters high and 120 meters in diameter. The North Dynasties Tomb Cluster was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 1988.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with approval, rescue excavations were carried out on several severely damaged ancient tombs. A large number of artifacts were unearthed, including epitaphs, murals, porcelain, pottery figurines, and gold coins. Judging by the unearthed items, funerary objects were mainly various pottery figurines. Just six tombs yielded over 6,000 pottery figurines. These artifacts are exquisitely crafted and vividly shaped. Particularly valuable are the colorful murals found in most of the excavated tombs.

The Eastern Chen Village Eastern Wei Tomb cluster consists of four tombs, commonly referred to locally as the “Four Beauties Mounds.” In 1974, one of them was excavated. According to the epitaph, the tomb belonged to Lady Zhao of the Yao family from Eastern Wei. Following the excavation of Lady Zhao’s tomb, in 1975, the tomb of her son, Yao Jun, was also excavated. Evidence suggests that Lady Zhao’s tomb had been robbed, with many cultural relics destroyed. Nevertheless, 136 pottery figurines were unearthed, including nearly all types of figurines representing daily life, realistically reflecting the grand scene of civil and military attendants, servants, and entertainers accompanying the tomb owner during her lifetime.

In 1975, the tomb of Gao Run in Gaohuanshu Village was excavated and organized. The epitaph of Gao Run records him as the “Late Northern Qi Minister Over the Masses, Acting Yellow Axe, Left Prime Minister, and Prince Wen Zhao,” buried in the seventh year of Wuping (576 AD). This tomb yielded 381 pottery figurines, and the four walls of the tomb chamber have well-preserved colorful murals. The mural on the northern wall of the tomb chamber is relatively intact, depicting a “Mourning Scene.” The discovery of Gao Run’s mural tomb is of great significance, vividly and distinctly showcasing the painting style and unique characteristics of China’s Northern Qi period, filling a blank page in the history of Chinese painting.

In 1979, archaeologists excavated the tomb of Princess Ruru, the wife of Gao Zhan, son of Eastern Wei Chancellor Gao Huan, and daughter of Khan Anluochen. She died and was buried in the eighth year of Wuding (550 AD). On both sides of the tomb passage of Princess Ruru, there are 21-meter-long colorful murals, marking the first major discovery of Eastern Wei paintings. The tomb yielded 1,056 various pottery figurines, as well as some pottery horses and camels—an unusually large number for any Northern Dynasties tomb excavated in China. Among the eight unearthed gold artifacts were two Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) gold coins, providing new and valuable material for studying the East-West interactions between China and the Byzantine Empire during the Eastern Wei period.

Between 1987 and 1989, a tomb was salvaged and excavated in Qianwanzhang Village. Without an epitaph, it is difficult to determine the exact identity of the tomb owner. However, judging by the scale of the tomb, it can be confirmed to be the mausoleum of a Northern Qi emperor, most likely Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi (Gao Yang), or possibly Emperor Wucheng (Gao Zhan) or Emperor Houzhu (Gao Wei). The tomb yielded over 1,800 pottery figurines, including civil officials, soldiers, drummers, dancers, and servant figurines, in standing, sitting, and horse-riding poses, all remarkably lifelike. The tomb passage murals cover 320 square meters, primarily featuring symmetrical processions with 106 figures, demonstrating the solemnity and grandeur of imperial funeral rites. These are the largest surviving Northern Dynasties tomb murals in China.

Further Reading:

· Second Batch of Hebei Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units