Tomb of the Xiao Family

Tomb of the Xiao Family

The Tomb of the Xiao Family is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of the Xiao Family is located in Sibuge Tu Village, Qinglongshan Town, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, also known as the Tomb of the Xiao Shaoju Family. On the southern slope of Miaoshan Mountain, there are surface architectural ruins.

In 1983, a single-chamber brick tomb was excavated, and in 1985, two multi-chamber brick tombs were cleared, one of which is the joint burial tomb of Princess Chen Guo and her royal consort Xiao Shaoju. Princess Chen Guo of the Liao Dynasty was the daughter of Yelü Longqing, King and the second son of Emperor Jingzong of Liao. She was born in the 19th year of the Tonghe era (1001) and died in the 7th year of the Kaipai era (1018) at the age of 18. Her royal consort, Xiao Shaoju, was the brother of Empress Rende of Emperor Shengzong of Liao.

The joint burial tomb is a multi-chamber brick tomb with a domed ceiling, consisting of a passage, a courtyard, a gate, an antechamber, left and right side chambers, and a rear chamber, with a total length of 16.4 meters. The rear chamber contains a wooden coffin chamber, equipped with a bier and an altar. The walls of the passage and the antechamber are painted with scenes of the couple’s daily life. The deceased were dressed in official hats and boots, adorned with gold and silver funerary attire. A total of 3,227 items were unearthed, including ornaments and household utensils made of gold, silver, copper, jade, porcelain, agate, and amber, as well as horse tack.

In May 2006, the Tomb of the Xiao Family, as an ancient tomb from the Liao Dynasty, was approved by the State Council to be included in the sixth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units