Jishan Duan Family Tombs of the Song and Jin Dynasties

Jishan Duan Family Tombs of the Song and Jin Dynasties

The Jishan Duan Family Tombs of the Song and Jin Dynasties are a cultural tourism attraction.

The Song and Jin tombs have been included in the Chinese Encyclopedia. Here, you can find not only an exclusive underground palace with exquisite carved chambers but also a richly varied above-ground architectural complex. With forests of pine and cypress, clouds drifting overhead, and gardens filled with oddly shaped flowers and rare plants, it has truly become one of China’s notable tourist destinations. Located four kilometers west of Jishan County in the southwest corner of Macun, it is 300 meters east of the nationally famous Qinglong Temple and was originally the ancestral burial ground of the Duan family from Macun. In 1953 and 1954, due to rain erosion, three brick-chambered, carved, wood-imitation tombs from the Song and Jin periods were successively discovered. In 1961, they were listed as county-level cultural heritage protection units. In 1978, archaeologists from the provincial cultural relics management committee conducted exploratory drilling here and discovered twelve more similar tombs, bringing the total to fifteen. Eight of them were excavated, revealing that although the bricks used were the same, their structures and decorations varied greatly — including cave-style, pavilion-style, and palace-style designs, featuring single eaves, double eaves, and multiple eaves. Most resembled traditional quadrangle courtyard residences, truly exemplifying exquisite craftsmanship and delicate beauty. Within the tombs, whether it be the doors, windows, partitions, dripping eaves, carved animals, flowers, figures, or the serene, seated tomb owners and their attendants — such as book boys and maidservants — along with the “Twenty-Four Paragons” figurative group sculptures displayed under the corridors (depicting stories like Zeng Can gathering firewood, Emperor Liu Heng tasting medicine, Lu Ji bringing home oranges, Yang Zhi fighting a tiger, and Ding Lan carving wood), all are rendered through carving or molding with striking realism and lifelike detail. Particularly noteworthy is the stage-like music pavilion opposite the tomb owners, featuring both musicians and actors. The musical instruments include various percussion and wind instruments such as bass drums, waist drums, clappers, and transverse flutes. The acting troupes include a full range of roles: supporting villain, supporting clown, female impersonator, leading male, and supporting official, presenting not only vivid storytelling but also impressive performance techniques — truly lifelike and animated. Stepping into one of these tombs feels like entering a hall adorned with exquisitely crafted treasures, offering an overwhelming sense of splendor and elegance.

According to the inscription in Tomb No. 7, the site dates back to between 1118 (the eighth year of the Zhenghe era of the Song Dynasty) and 1181 (the twenty-first year of the Dading era of the Jin Dynasty), making it over 800 years old. Its discovery provides extremely rare historical evidence for the study of Song and Jin architecture as well as the development history of music and drama, possessing immeasurable artistic and scientific value.

To better protect the Song and Jin tombs, starting in 1982, the state has invested substantial funds for proper restoration and rational redevelopment. The site has now reached a considerable scale. In March 1996, with approval from the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, the Jin Tombs Museum was officially established and listed as a Shanxi Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit. In 2001, it was announced as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Location

Macun, Jishan County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province