Ancient Tomb Mound Cemetery Cluster

Ancient Tomb Mound Cemetery Cluster

The Ancient Tomb Mound Cemetery Cluster is a cultural tourism attraction.

Ancient Tomb Mound Cemetery Cluster

The Ancient Tomb Mound Cemetery Cluster is located about 500 meters northwest of the government office of Laotai Township, Jimusaer County. To its north is a rural road, to the east and west are farmland, and to the south is a gully. The entire cemetery cluster sits on an elevated loess ridge, covering an area of about two mu.

Inside the temple courtyard, coffins are scattered everywhere. When the coffin lids are opened, they are found to be filled entirely with human skulls. One particular coffin is very special—it is entirely lacquered with tung oil and carved with the design of two dragons playing with a pearl. It features an outer coffin and an inner coffin, both exquisitely crafted.

Inside the coffin lies the body of a man wearing a red-tasseled official hat, official robes, and court boots, though there is no written record indicating his rank. The entire loess ridge is covered with coffins—coffins against coffins, coffins stacked on coffins, sometimes three or four layers high. Nearly all of the coffins contain only human skulls, with no complete bodies. Some hold three or four skulls, the most holding as many as seven or eight.

According to memories of Xu Youren, a local elder, during the campaign to “Smash the Four Olds,” at least 5,000 human skulls were unearthed from the Ancient Tomb Mound alone. Someone once saw a skull with two gold teeth in the upper jaw, said to be “two ghosts guarding the gate,” glittering brightly.

Legend has it that during the turmoil of the Tongzhi era, Huilai Fort was destroyed in the fighting. All those who were killed were buried on this earthen ridge, which is why the coffins contain only human heads.