Dengshuang Cliff Tomb Cluster

Dengshuang Cliff Tomb Cluster

The Dengshuang Cliff Tomb Cluster is a protected cultural heritage site of Sichuan Province.

The Dayunshan Cliff Tomb Cluster, discovered in 2013 in Xinjin County, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, is located on Dayunshan in Dengshuang Town, Xinjin County, Sichuan. It comprises over 600 cliff tombs distributed across two earthen hills. Dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty, the tombs have yielded a large number of pottery vessels. In 2013, local cultural heritage authorities excavated and cleared a number of pottery coffins, stone coffins, and numerous uniquely shaped pottery figurines. These tombs date as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty and hold significant historical value.

The Dayunshan Cliff Tombs are spread across two hills, with dense distributions progressing from mountaintop to foothill in upper, middle, and lower tiers.

The taller of the two hills has a steep slope, with a vertical height of about sixty to seventy meters. On its western face, where the mountain forms undulating waves, over 370 cliff tombs are densely clustered on that side.

Separated from this hill by a small ditch is a round-shaped knoll entirely encircled by cliff tombs of varying sizes, roughly divided into five levels from top to bottom. The entire hill resembles a conical beehive. There are over 230 cliff tombs on this small hill alone.

Chronology

Cliff tombs in Sichuan first appeared during the Wang Mang period at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, flourished in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and continued through the Three Kingdoms, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties periods. As the literature describes: “carving caves to make chambers, and placing coffins inside.” Cliff tombs in Sichuan are mainly concentrated in the central regions of the Jialing River, Min River, and Tuo River and their tributaries, particularly in the middle and lower reaches of the Min River, where they are most numerous, largest in scale, and most densely distributed. The newly excavated cliff tomb cluster is located only about 1 kilometer from the Min River.

Tomb Owners

The Dayunshan area of Dengshuang Town is a concentrated zone of cliff tombs. Since carving tombs into cliffs required a massive amount of labor,

ordinary families could not afford the high costs, so most tomb owners were relatively wealthy households at the time. The existence of such a large-scale cliff tomb complex indicates that ancient Xinjin was an important waterway hub. Historical records state that Xinjin County was established in 557 AD, the first year of Emperor Xiaomin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and became a bustling river port due to its proximity to the Min River. It is speculated that many of the tomb owners were not locals but merchants who came via waterways, which led to the concentration of cliff tombs in the Xinjin area.

Protective boundary: The tomb cluster site, along with a surrounding margin of 3 meters from its outer edge, constitutes the protected zone.

Construction control zone: The area extending from 3 to 30 meters beyond the outer edge of the tomb cluster.