Rui Feng Cliff Tomb Cluster

Rui Feng Cliff Tomb Cluster

The Rui Feng Cliff Tomb Cluster is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Rui Feng Cliff Tomb Cluster is located in the hilly area of Huangjiao Village, Rui Feng Town, on the western bank of the Min River in Qing Shan County, Meishan City. It is a large, densely distributed, and well-preserved ancient tomb complex. In May 2006, the Rui Feng Cliff Tomb Cluster was designated by the State Council as part of the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

After the Qin dynasty annexed the Shu region, the Sichuan Basin became a fertile “Land of Abundance” thanks to the Dujiangyan irrigation system. By the Han dynasties, with social stability and improved productivity, a number of wealthy landowners with large estates and tenant farmers emerged, leading to an overall improvement in living standards. This period also saw shifts in public ideology and funeral customs, with elaborate burials and family tomb traditions becoming popular. The Min River, which runs through Meishan, has been a vital “golden waterway” in Sichuan since the Qin and Han periods, supporting a prosperous economy and dense population along its banks. At that time, the people of Meishan not only lived by the Min River but were also buried along its shores, which explains the presence of numerous cliff tombs on the steep cliffs and hillsides facing the water and backed by mountains.

Rui Feng Town, situated in the middle reaches of the ancient Min River shipping route, was once the seat of the ancient Qingyi County. It served as a key land and water transportation hub in and out of Sichuan, boasting a dense population and thriving economy. Coupled with its picturesque natural scenery of mountains and water, it perfectly met the psychological needs of tomb owners seeking to avoid misfortune and secure blessings for future generations—thus becoming one of the main burial areas of the time. These cliff tombs were built at the base of cliffs, midway up cliff faces, or even atop cliff tops. Today, we can see four or five fully excavated cliff tombs, while many others are marked only by their visible entrances.

Excavation

In 1913, French explorers such as Fazhanla, Digé, and Ségalan conducted investigations and excavations in Rui Feng Town. In 1982, experts from the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee carried out on-site excavations and unearthed a cliff tomb constructed between the first year of the Jianchu era and the Yuanhe era of the Eastern Han Dynasty, unveiling the history of the Rui Feng Han cliff tombs. Due to stone inscriptions found in the Rui Feng cliff tombs bearing dates such as the first year of Jianchu (76 AD), the fifth year of Yuanhe (88 AD), and the fourth year of Yanxi (161 AD), and based on their tomb structure, they have been identified as Eastern Han cliff tombs. Their origins can be traced back to the late Western Han Dynasty at the earliest, and they likely do not postdate the Three Kingdoms period.

Characteristics of the Cliff Tombs

Although varying in size and primary or secondary status, the Rui Feng cliff tombs generally consist of a tomb passage, front hall, lintel, corridor, main chamber, side chambers, and wall niches.

Among the Rui Feng cliff tomb cluster, there are several medium to large-sized chambers. These mostly follow the layout of “front hall at the rear for sleeping, with wing rooms on both sides.” The front halls feature relatively intricate and refined decorations, resembling the gates of official residences. The construction of the tomb chambers is grand in scale, with meticulous craftsmanship and concise, exquisite carvings. Most of these tomb entrances have double or multiple lintels, often adorned with bracket sets (dougong) carved above.

The tomb structures of the Rui Feng cliff tombs are typically rectangular, including single-chamber, double-chamber, multi-chamber, and double-main-chamber layouts. The chambers often use pottery coffins or original rock coffins, features common among Sichuan cliff tombs. To maintain dryness inside, most chambers are equipped with drainage and moisture-proof systems covered by pottery pipes—though these are not easily visible.

In recent years, higher-grade Han Dynasty brick-chamber tombs have also been discovered within the key protected area of the Rui Feng cliff tombs. For example, the legendary “Tomb of the Barbarian King” at Manfen Dam is a large Han Dynasty brick-chamber tomb. Additionally, there are two cases where decorative patterned bricks and mortise-and-tenon bricks were extensively used inside cliff tombs, likely to reinforce the structure and enhance decorative effects, reflecting the tomb owner’s distinguished status and wealth.

The unearthed artifacts from the Rui Feng cliff tombs are mainly pottery, with a small number of bronze coins and mirrors. The basic collection can be divided into two categories: those reflecting manorial economic culture and those representing daily family life. Items reflecting manorial economic culture include pottery houses, rice paddies (ponds), pigs, chickens, ducks, dogs, and figures holding hoes or baskets. Items representing daily life include pottery pedestal bronze money trees for worship or good fortune, pottery turtle pedestal mythical beasts, bronze mirrors inscribed with “Long Yi Zi Sun” (longevity for descendants), as well as everyday items like pottery jars, urns, and dou vessels. There are also various figurines such as those playing the zither or dancing. Thus, the Rui Feng cliff tombs are invaluable physical materials for studying the social economy, culture and arts, religious beliefs, and customs of the Eastern Han period.

The unearthed artifacts are not visible on site—they may have been relocated for preservation. Only two reliefs of majestic horses can be seen on the wall of one tomb’s front hall. On the walls of the front hall of a large tomb, clear remnants of decorative carvings are visible, resembling bodhisattvas—reportedly religious figure statues.

Protected Area: East to the foot of Man Dongzi Mountain on the western bank of the Min River, west to the mountaintop of the rubble area at Yao Fang Mountain, south to No. 13 milestone of the former Qing Le Highway, north to No. 12 milestone of the former Qing Le Highway.

Construction Control Zone: A 100-meter buffer zone extending outward from the protected area.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level