Tomb of the Qin Dukes

　　Lixian County, anciently known as "Xichui" or "Xiquanqiu," was the site of the earliest capital of the Qin people. According to Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Qin: The ancestors of the Qin people “guarded Xichui among the Western Rong tribes,” “Feizi lived on Daqiu,” “Zhuanggong resided in Xiquanqiu,” and “Qinzhong, Zhuanggong, and Xianggong were buried in Xichui.” Xichui, also known as Xiquanqiu, was the cradle from which the Qin people emerged to achieve hegemony in the Central Plains.

　　Why did the ancestors of the Qin people flourish here and establish their capital? According to Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of Qin, the Qin people belonged to the Ying clan, originating from the Dongyi (Eastern Yi) peoples. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, the leaders of the Ying clan advanced westward, settling in the middle reaches of the Wei River and guarding the frontier of the Shang Dynasty. After the Zhou Dynasty overthrew the Shang, the territories guarded by the Ying clan were also taken over by the Zhou. Led by their chieftain Daluo, they moved westward along the Wei River, continuing their search for a place to settle, eventually migrating to the upper reaches of the Han River south of the Wei River—far from the center of Zhou power. This move allowed them to maintain relative independence, laying the foundation for future growth and expansion. Here, they defeated the relatively weaker Di people and built a settlement. After the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, they pledged allegiance to it. The Zhou Son of Heaven recognized their occupation of “Xiquanqiu” and affirmed their social status. Feizi, an ancestor of the Qin people, excelled in horse breeding and earned the favor of King Xiao of Zhou, who granted him a feudal title and a settlement at Qin. Later, Feizi’s descendant Qinzhong served as a minister. After Qinzhong died in battle against the Rong tribes, his son Zhuanggong carried on his legacy, fought the Rong, reclaimed their territory, and was appointed as the Xichui Minister by King Xuan. Zhuanggong’s second son, Xianggong, escorted King Ping of Zhou to Luoyang during the suppression of a rebellion and, in recognition of his merit, was enfeoffed as a feudal lord, officially establishing the state. After Zhuanggong’s death, his successor, Wengong, continued fighting the Rong, conquered the Qishan area in Shaanxi, and ended the nomadic lifestyle entirely, transitioning to an agricultural society. The social system also evolved from primitive society to a slave society, making Qin a true state. The growth and rise of the Qin people never strayed from this central base in “Xichui.”

　　In the early 1990s, four grand tombs of Qin dukes were excavated on Dabaozi Mountain, located 12 kilometers east of Lixian County. The unearthed artifacts are unique in China and renowned worldwide. Experts analyzing the relics preliminarily identified them as the tombs of Qinzhong, Zhuanggong, or Xianggong, and established this cemetery as the First Tomb of Qin—the Xichui Tomb. The excavation of the Qin dukes’ tombs solved two millennia-old mysteries: the “Xichui Tomb” and the “birthplace of the Qin people.” It also confirmed the accuracy of the Records of the Grand Historian, causing a great sensation in the historical and archaeological communities. Mr. Li Xueqin, an expert from the Xia-Shang-Zhou Chronology Project team, pointed out that “Lixian County is the birthplace of the Qin people, deeply significant to ancient Chinese culture… and beneficial to the progress of archaeological and historical research.” Cao Wei, deputy director of the Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology, said: “There were two major archaeological discoveries in Gansu this century—one was the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes scripture cave, and the other was the Qin dukes’ tomb on Dabaozi Mountain in Lixian County.”

　　The protection and development of the Qin dukes’ tomb have drawn widespread attention from all sectors of society. A conservation and development plan has been designed and approved by experts. In the near future, the Western Xichui Tomb of Qin will be restored to its original appearance, welcoming scholars and tourists from around the world for academic study, archaeology, and sightseeing.