The Noble Tombs of the Chu Kingdom

The Noble Tombs of the Chu Kingdom

The Noble Tombs of the Chu Kingdom are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Noble Tombs of the Chu Kingdom are located on the ridges about 1 to 5 kilometers west of the ancient city of the Cai Kingdom (within the Gangling area of Daluli Township and Lugang Subdistrict Office in Shangcai County). This was an important noble cemetery formed over nearly 300 years after the Chu Kingdom conquered the Cai Kingdom in 531 BC and established the region as a northern stronghold. In 2006, it was announced by the State Council as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The ridges are now called Wolong Ridge, running from north to south, approximately 4 kilometers wide from east to west and over 20 kilometers long from north to south, standing more than 30 meters above the surrounding area. The tomb complex is situated in the central part of the ridge, roughly rectangular in shape, about 7 kilometers long from north to south and 4 kilometers wide, covering a total area of around 28 square kilometers. The site contains numerous large and medium-sized Chu tombs, including many high-ranking "Jia"-shaped noble tombs. Due to centuries of farming and soil extraction, especially the extensive damage caused by nearby brick and tile kilns in modern times, many of the burial mounds have been leveled. However, some prominent ones with relatively well-preserved rammed earth mounds remain, such as the Xiao Liwang Chu Tomb, Guozhuang Chu Tomb, and Wanli Chu Tomb. The tombs are densely distributed and neatly arranged. Multiple excavations have confirmed that most of the burials are large and medium-sized earthen pit tombs dating back to the Warring States period.

From May to December 2005, the Henan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team conducted an excavation of the Guozhuang No. 1 Chu Tomb. This tomb is a large-scale grave from the early Warring States period featuring sand and stone burial chambers. It has a “Jia”-shaped layout, with the tomb chamber measuring 25 meters from east to west, 17 meters from north to south, and about 18 meters deep, making it the “Largest Tomb in Southern Henan.” Its structure is unique, its scale grand, and its anti-theft measures ingeniously designed. Despite having been looted more than ten times, the tomb still yielded over 1,000 precious artifacts. Among the funerary objects were many exquisitely crafted items, such as the largest bronze lidded ding cauldron with an opening of 80 centimeters—second only to the Ding of King You of Chu; a four-dragon-handled bronze mirror with a 67-centimeter diameter, rarely seen in China; and a large, high-quality stone chime—truly exceptional finds. Other rare treasures include jade thumb rings, a jade ear spoon in the shape of a nude female figure, a gold-dragon jade-ring copper razor, and a jade-handled bronze sword.