Tomb of the King of Jibei

Tomb of the King of Jibei

The Tomb of the King of Jibei is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of the King of Jibei is located 15 kilometers southwest of Changqing County in Shandong Province. It is the burial site of a feudal king from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC–8 AD), consisting of the Shuangru Mountain Han Tomb, Fulu Mountain Han Tomb, and Dongxin Han Tomb.

The largest of the Han imperial tombs, the Shuangru Mountain Han Tomb, is located in Shuangru Village, Guide Town, Changqing District, Jinan. Rescue excavations began at the end of 1995, and it was rated as one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 1996” in China. According to historical records and on-site surveys, experts believe that the tomb belonged to Liu Kuan, the last king of the Jibei Kingdom—a feudal state during the Western Han Dynasty—hence it is also known as the “Tomb of the King of Jibei.” The tomb was built in the fourth year of the Tianhan era of the Western Han Dynasty, which corresponds to 97 BC. Amazingly, over two thousand years ago, craftsmen using rudimentary tools managed to carve out a tomb chamber 22 meters deep and approximately 100 square meters in area, along with an 80-meter-long passage, within a hard rocky mountain. The Shuangru Mountain Han Tomb is built against the mountain with chambers hewn directly from the rock. Tomb No. 1 faces south with its back to the north. Both the tomb chamber and passage feature two-tiered platforms, wider and shallower on the outside, narrower and deeper on the inside, forming a shape resembling the Chinese character “甲” (jiǎ). The passage stretches 60 meters in total, reaches a maximum depth of 18 meters, and covers an area of 840 square meters, with a slope descending from north to south at the base. The chamber itself spans 607.5 square meters and reaches a total depth of 22 meters. Over 2,000 funerary objects were unearthed, mainly including bronze ware, jade artifacts, ironware, lacquerware, pottery, coins, as well as domesticated animals and poultry. Tomb No. 2 has a similar structure and layout to Tomb No. 1 but is slightly smaller in scale.

The Fulu Mountain Han Tomb is located about 1 kilometer northeast of the Shuangru Mountain Han Tomb. Atop the mountain are two tombs arranged side by side from east to west, with existing earthen mounds about 13 meters high and covering an area of 12,000 square meters. The Dongxin Han Tomb is located about 1 kilometer northwest of the Shuangru Mountain Han Tomb in Dongxin Village, where a square-shaped earthen mound remains, covering an area of approximately 2,500 square meters.

The Han Tomb of the King of Jibei holds significant academic value for the study of Han Dynasty mausoleum systems and the history of feudal states.

The tomb yielded over 2,400 funerary objects including bronze ware, jade artifacts, and chariot and horse fittings. Its massive scale, intact condition without looting, undisturbed coffins and outer coffins, and clear positional evidence provide abundant and accurate materials and references for a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of coffin and outer-coffin burial systems. It is also a rare find among the rock-cut tombs excavated in China to date. The discovery of the Tomb of the King of Jibei was rated as one of the “Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries of 1996” in China.

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units