Han Lu King Tombs

Han Lu King Tombs

The Han Lu King Tombs are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Han Lu King Tombs are distributed across Jiulong Mountain, Ting Mountain in the south of Qufu City, Shandong Province, and Siji Mountain in Zoucheng City. They house the remains of ten out of the fourteen kings of the Han State of Lu and are ancient tombs from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 8 AD).

There are eight Han tombs in total, all carved into mountainsides, with tomb entrances facing south and arranged side by side from east to west. The tomb chamber structures are largely similar, featuring a passageway, eastern and western side chambers. The tomb entrance leads directly to the front chamber, which contains model carts. On either side of the front chamber, small passageways lead to the two side chambers—the eastern one storing grain and the western one holding meat. Each side of the front chamber has a small southern passage leading to corresponding northern and southern side rooms, all four of which share the same structure. The tombs feature a complete drainage system running from front to back. The four tombs collectively contain 12 carts, 50 horses, and 368 chariot and horse ornaments.

The Han Lu King Tombs, carved into mountainsides with massive engineering efforts, are relatively rare in northern China and hold significant value for the study of the imperial tomb system of the Han Dynasty as well as the history and culture of the Lu region. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units