Tomb Cluster of the Han Dynasty at Xiao Wangzhuang

Tomb Cluster of the Han Dynasty at Xiao Wangzhuang

The Tomb Cluster of the Han Dynasty at Xiao Wangzhuang is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tomb of the Han Dynasty at Xiao Wangzhuang The Tomb Cluster of the Han Dynasty at Xiao Wangzhuang is located about 4 kilometers north of Jining City, to the south of Xiao Wangzhuang Village and its surrounding area, approximately 300 meters east of the Ji-Wen Highway. Commonly known as the "Nine Maidens’ Mounds" or "Nine-Meter Mounds," it is a cluster of tombs from the Han Dynasty. Originally, there were nine burial mounds scattered across the site. According to Volume One of the Jining County Annals, Section on Territory: “The Nine Maidens’ Mounds are located five li to the north of the county, comprising nine mounds in total — seven in the west and two in the east, irregularly arranged facing each other.” Currently, the locations of six mounds can still be identified. In 1977, it was listed among the first batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in Shandong Province.

With approval from the higher cultural relics authorities, from 1992 to 1995, the Jining Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics conducted rescue excavations and restoration work on Tomb No. 1, recreating the magnificent underground palace of a royal tomb from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Research has confirmed that this tomb belonged to Liu Shang, the filial King and grandson of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu. The excavated tomb of Liu Shang features a burial mound over ten meters high, with an underground chamber spanning over 700 square meters and reaching a height of 12 meters. The structure follows the standard format for a princely tomb, consisting of a passage, eastern and western side chambers, an antechamber, a front chamber, and a rear chamber. The semi-underground tomb passage is sloped, stretching 21 meters in length. The eastern side chamber measures 4.4×3.4 meters, while the western side chamber is 5.8×4 meters. The passage leads to the antechamber through two chambers and three sealed brick door walls. The front chamber is 1.6×8.5 meters, and the rear chamber is 10.9×8.1 meters. Both are paved and roofed with square stones, with stone-lined burial chambers. Between the stone chamber and the tomb proper is a corridor 0.6–0.9 meters wide. The deceased was buried in a set of five nested coffins and wore a silver-threaded jade suit — the highest funerary honor in the Han Dynasty, second only to the emperor’s gold-threaded jade suit.

This tomb is a typical all-stone structure from the Eastern Han Dynasty. The stone blocks used (known as huangchangshi, or “yellow intestines stones”) bear numerous clerical script inscriptions. It is estimated that there are over 800 exposed inscriptions, ranging from one or two characters to more than ten per inscription. These inscriptions are carved on the corridor walls, the ceiling, the sealed door walls, and the stone slabs of the coffin bed. They indicate the sources of the building stones and bear the carved marks of quarry workers from various principalities, commanderies, and counties of the time. The calligraphy is concise, naturally formed, and simple in style — distinctly different from the standard clerical script seen in Han Dynasty steles. Based on dating, this script predates the mature clerical styles seen in famous steles such as the “Ritual Vessel” and “Historical Morning,” making it of significant academic research value. These over 800 inscriptions, comprising more than 4,000 clerical characters, represent a major discovery of Han Dynasty stone inscriptions in China. They hold great importance for the study of the evolution of ancient Chinese script and calligraphy art, and also serve as a valuable artistic legacy inadvertently left by the tomb’s highly esteemed occupant.

As the tomb was looted in ancient times, only three national first-class cultural relics and some pottery and stone artifacts were unearthed during excavation. Tomb No. 1 at Xiao Wangzhuang is the first tomb from the Eastern Han Dynasty royal burial complex to be restored and opened to the public in China. It also contains the largest number of inscribed stones among known tombs from the Han Dynasty, making it exceptionally precious. Since its opening in 1996, it has attracted numerous domestic and international scholars and tourists.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units