Jishan Song-Jin Tombs

　　The Song-Jin Tombs, now included in the *Chinese Encyclopedia*, boast not only an exclusive landscape of underground palace carvings but also a rich array of above-ground architectural complexes. With pine and cypress trees forming forests and a garden full of oddly shaped flowers and exotic plants, it has truly become one of China’s premier tourist destinations. Located in the southwestern corner of Macun Village, about four kilometers west of Jishan County, it lies just 300 meters east of the nationally renowned Qinglong Temple. Originally, this was the ancestral burial ground of the Duan family from Macun. In 1953 and 1954, three brick-chambered, carved, wood-imitation tombs from the Song and Jin dynasties were discovered here due to rain erosion. In 1961, they were designated as a county-level cultural relics protection site. In 1978, archaeologists from the provincial cultural relics management committee conducted exploratory drilling here and discovered 12 more tombs of the same type, bringing the total to 15. Eight of them were excavated, revealing that while all the tombs were made of the same type of bricks, their structures and decorations varied greatly. There were cave-style, pavilion-style, and palace-style tombs, featuring single-eave, double-eave, and multi-eave designs, most resembling traditional quadrangle courtyard residences—truly exquisite and delicate. In each tomb, whether it was the doors, windows, partitions, drip tiles, rafter ends, birds, beasts, flowers, or figures, as well as the serene and dignified seated statues of the tomb owner couple and their attendants under the corridor, and the "Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" group sculptures displayed along the corridor—such as "Zeng Can Gathering Firewood," "Emperor Liu Heng Tasting Medicine," "Lu Ji Hiding Oranges," "Yang De Fighting a Tiger," and "Ding Lan Carving Wood"—all were either carved or molded with lifelike vividness. Particularly noteworthy is the stage and music tower opposite the tomb owners, complete with musicians and actors. The instruments include a variety of wind and percussion instruments such as bass drums, waist drums, clappers, and transverse flutes. The actors cover all roles, including supporting comedic roles, supporting minor roles, female impersonators, leading male roles, and official roles. It appears both story-driven and skillfully performed, truly exquisitely lifelike. Entering one of these tombs feels like stepping into a hall adorned with exquisite craft treasures—an overwhelming sense of splendor and elegance.

　　According to the epitaph in Tomb No. 7, these are relics from 1118 (the eighth year of the Song Dynasty's Zhenghe era) to 1181 (the 21st year of the Jin Dynasty's Daguan era), boasting a history of over 800 years. Their discovery provides extremely rare historical evidence for studying the architectural and music-drama development history of the Song and Jin periods, holding immeasurable artistic and scientific value.

　　To better protect the Song-Jin Tombs, starting in 1982, the state invested substantial funds for proper restoration and reasonable redevelopment. The site has since achieved a certain scale. In March 1996, with approval from the Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, the Jin Tombs Museum was officially established and designated as a Shanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In 2001, it was announced as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.