The Reshui Ancient Tombs

The Reshui Ancient Tombs

The Reshui Ancient Tombs are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Reshui Tombs are located on the west bank of Reshui Gully in Reshui Township, Dulan County, Qinghai Province, in western China. They are the ruins of a burial complex dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD).

The Reshui Tombs are distributed across an area about 7 kilometers long within the territories of four villages—Reshui, Zhama Ri, Shar Tang, and Xie Wai—and include 165 tombs of various types, most of which have been looted. From 1982 to 1986, the Qinghai Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology conducted excavations and research here. The tombs in the site are mainly divided into trapezoidal and circular types. The burial mounds were built with rammed earth or piled with gravel and then covered with rammed earth, with layers of tamarisk branches placed between the rammed layers. Beneath the rammed earth lies a stone wall with an isosceles trapezoidal base, edged with adobe bricks or mud balls, and coated with red stone powder on the outer side. The burial chambers were constructed with stone blocks and consist of a passage, central chamber, side chambers on both sides, and a rear chamber. Each tomb has a earthen mound, and in front of the mound lies a large sacrificial pit. Artifacts unearthed from these pits include wooden carts, wooden slips, silk fabrics, glassware, gold and silver objects, and more. Some of the unearthed items feature designs and patterns with strong Central Asian artistic influences.

The discovery of the Reshui Tombs holds significant importance for studying the burial architecture of western China during the Tang Dynasty, as well as the cultural exchanges between the region and Central Asia. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units