Ancient Tombs of Siji Mountain

Ancient Tombs of Siji Mountain

The Ancient Tombs of Siji Mountain are a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Shandong Province.

The Ancient Tombs of Siji Mountain are located on Siji Mountain and Yun Mountain at the junction of Dasu and Zhongxindian towns, about 12 kilometers northeast of Zoucheng City. In addition to the tomb cluster of the Mencius Forest on the western foothills of Siji Mountain, the site also features cliff tombs carved into the mountainsides on the sunny sides of Siji Mountain and Yun Mountain, as well as the so-called "Three Family Tombs."

There are five cliff tombs on the sunny sides of Siji Mountain and Yun Mountain—two on Siji Mountain and three on Yun Mountain. On Siji Mountain, the left tomb still has an intact earthen mound, while the right tomb has an exposed tomb passage that is 25 meters long from north to south and 5 meters wide from east to west, with walls 8 meters high. The walls of the tomb passage show clear traces of stone carving, and the earthen mound is made of solid yellow rammed earth. On Yun Mountain, the three cliff tombs are arranged side by side from east to west, all with exposed tomb passages. The three tombs share a similar structure, each measuring 27 meters in length from north to south, 4.8 meters in width from east to west, and 2.5 meters in wall height, with relatively intact fill soil. The carving method and structure of the cliff tombs on Siji Mountain and Yun Mountain are similar to those of the Han Dynasty cliff tombs at Jiulong Mountain and Tingshan in Qufu, and are believed to be the mausoleums of the kings of Lu during the Western Han Dynasty.

On the western foothills of Siji Mountain, to the west of the Mencius Forest, lie the "Three Family Tombs," which are the burial sites of the noble "Three Huan" families from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The three tombs are arranged in a staggered formation, with large earthen mounds. The largest tomb on the western side stands 10 meters high with a diameter of 45 meters. The layers of rammed earth are clearly visible, the texture is hard, and the base is paved with large bluestone slabs.

In 1977, the Ancient Tombs of Siji Mountain were designated as a Key Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in Shandong Province.