Tang Gongling (Tomb of Crown Prince Li Hong and Stone Carvings)

Tang Gongling (Tomb of Crown Prince Li Hong and Stone Carvings)

Tang Gongling (Tomb of Crown Prince Li Hong and Stone Carvings) is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Tang Gongling is located atop Jing Mountain, southwest of Hutuo Village in Goushi Town, Yanshi City. It is the mausoleum of Li Hong, the crown prince of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, commonly known as "Crown Prince Tomb" or "Filial and Reverent Emperor Tomb." Spanning an area of 500 acres, the mausoleum complex features a 50-meter-wide sacred way lined with a pair of tall watch pillars, a pair of majestic celestial steeds, three pairs of solemn stone statues of officials (Wengzhong), and stone lions. Among them, between the first and second Wengzhong statues on the eastern side stands a stele inscribed with “Inscription on the Virtuous Deeds of the Filial and Reverent Emperor,” personally written by Emperor Gaozong. The sacred way leads directly to the tomb mound, which is mound-shaped (like an inverted bucket), measuring 163 meters in length from east to west, 147 meters in width from north to south, and with a remaining height of 22 meters. Originally, the mausoleum was enclosed by sacred walls, with watchtowers at each corner and a sacred gate positioned in the middle of each of the four walls. Today, the gates and watchtowers are no longer extant, but the earthen mounds remain. The stone carvings at Gongling are exquisitely crafted and extremely precious, predating those of Qianling, and represent the only surviving set of high-Tang dynasty tomb sculptures in Henan. The construction of this tomb required enormous expenditure and forced labor, leading to two incidents of workers fleeing.

Fifty meters northeast of Gongling lies the tomb of Li Hong’s consort, Empress Ai, known as “Empress Tomb.” It is cone-shaped, with base sides each 40–50 meters long and a remaining height of 13 meters.

Tang Gongling is the largest tomb among the Tang dynasty imperial tombs in Luoyang. In 1985, the state allocated special funds to restore and realign the stone carvings, improving the overall appearance of the mausoleum site.

Li Hong (652–675) was the eldest son of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (Li Zhi) and Empress Wu Zetian, and the first crown prince in Tang history to be posthumously honored as emperor. In the first year of the Xianqing era (656), Emperor Gaozong deposed Crown Prince Li Zhong and appointed the four-year-old Prince Li Hong of Dai as the new crown prince. During his time as crown prince, Li Hong was known for his benevolence and virtue. He gained widespread praise from both the court and the public for his filial piety and kindness. However, he suffered from poor health and died suddenly at the age of 23 in the fourth month of the second year of the Shangyuan era (675) while accompanying the emperor and empress on a trip to Luoyang. He passed away at the Qiyun Hall of the Hebi Palace. Posthumously honored with the title Filial and Reverent, and given the temple name Yizong, he was buried in Tang Gongling.

[Biography of Historical Figure...] More details on Li Hong ++

Goushi Town: Goushi Town is located in the southern part of Yanshi City, bordering Fudian Town to the east, Dakou Township and Gaolong Town to the west, the Funiu Mountains to the south, and Baiyun Ridge, adjacent to Guxian Town, to the north. National Highway 207 runs east-west through the town, covering a total area of 80.4 square kilometers. It administers 24 administrative villages, 72 natural villages, and 273 villager groups, with a total population of 63,500, including 5,108 Hui people. In 2015, the town achieved a gross regional product of 2.016 billion yuan, surpassing the annual target of 1.967 billion yuan by 102.5%, representing a year-on-year growth of 11%; the added value of large-scale industries reached 623 million yuan, accounting for... More details on Goushi Town ++

Further Reading:

· First Batch of Henan Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Fifth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units