Liao Tombs and Their Auxiliary Towns

The Liao Tombs and Their Auxiliary Towns

The Liao Tombs and Their Auxiliary Towns are designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Liao Tombs and Their Auxiliary Towns are located in Balinzuo Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Among the imperial tombs of the Liao Dynasty, two have been confirmed: the Zuling Tomb and the Qingling Tomb. The Zuling Tomb is the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelü Abaoji, situated in a valley 2 kilometers northwest of the ruins of Liao's Zuzhou City in Balinzuo Banner, Inner Mongolia. The Qingling Tomb collectively refers to the tombs of Emperor Shengzong of Liao (Yelü Longxu), Emperor Xingzong (Yelü Zongzhen), and Emperor Daozong (Yelü Hongji), along with their empresses, located in Wangfen Gully in the Greater Khingan Mountains, about 10 kilometers north of the ruins of Jiangqingzhou City in Balinyou Banner, Inner Mongolia. The mouth of the valley where Zuling is located features steep peaks, fortified with earthen walls and guard structures. The valley is covered with dense forests, offering a tranquil and elegant environment. Remains of the stone-built tomb chamber walls have been exposed on the surface, and the site of the offering hall still exists at the foot of the slope. On a small hilltop to the east of the valley entrance stands a large stone turtle pedestal. Nearby fragments of broken steles bear neatly inscribed, elegant Khitan large script characters, which serve as important materials for the study of Khitan history.

The auxiliary town of Zuzhou City is divided into inner and outer sections, spanning approximately 2 kilometers in circumference, with remnants of walls about 6 meters high. Remains of four city gates of the outer wall are still visible, with barbican traces observable at the eastern and northern gates. The inner city contains several tall platforms, and a stone house remains in the northwest corner. A wide street, over 40 meters in width, leads directly from the southern gate of the inner city to the southern gate of the outer city, with clear remnants of structures preserved on both sides.

The three tombs within Qingling are commonly referred to as the "Eastern Tomb," "Central Tomb," and "Western Tomb." These tombs are arranged from east to west, spaced about 2 kilometers apart. In the early years of the Republic of China, the tombs were looted, and many of the burial artifacts were lost. Each tomb features a tomb gate, an offering hall, and a passage (xiandao), all oriented southeast. The burial chambers consist of front, middle, and rear rooms, along with four side chambers. The interiors are adorned with murals depicting decorative patterns, figures, and landscapes. The tomb gates and imitation wooden structures built with bricks inside the tombs are decorated with red and green pigments, while the ridge ornaments on the tomb gates are painted in yellow-brown. The detailed imitation woodwork and upper sections of the tomb walls feature fine brushwork paintings of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, birds, auspicious clouds, pearls, and grid-like patterns—representing the highest artistic level among discovered Liao Dynasty tomb murals. On the walls of the tomb passages, front chambers, east and west side chambers, central chamber, and various connecting corridors, there are over 70 life-sized painted human figures, including depictions of guards, musical bands, and attendants.

Above the figures are ink-inscribed Khitan small script captions. One mural features a grand seasonal landscape painting, illustrating the scenery of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, reflecting the Liao emperors' seasonal nomadic "nabo" tradition, and is particularly distinctive in local character.

Approximately 10 kilometers south of the Liao Qingling Tombs lies the ruins of Jiangqingzhou City, an auxiliary town that served to protect the tombs. The city walls stretch 930 meters from north to south and 1,090 meters from east to west, with distinctly visible architectural remains, some of which still stand up to 2.5 meters high. The ground within the ruins area is scattered with numerous artifacts, easily found everywhere. In the northwest part of the city stands a brick pagoda from the Liao Dynasty that once enshrined the relics of Sakyamuni Buddha. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units