Tubo Tombs

　　Introduction     Located on the west bank of Reshui Gully in Reshui Township, Dulan County, about 10 kilometers from the county seat. It is a large-scale cluster of early Tang Dynasty Tubo tombs and also the first such discovery in China. The tombs are distributed across four natural villages—Reshui, Zhama’er, Shaertang, and Xiewai—spanning approximately 7 kilometers. From 1982 to 1986, archaeologists from the Qinghai Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute conducted excavations and clean-up here. Most of the tombs had been looted, and in 1986 they were designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

　　    Each tomb has a burial mound, either trapezoidal or circular in shape; constructed using rammed earth or gravel covered with rammed earth layers, with tamarisk branches placed between the layers. Below the rammed earth lies a stone wall built in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, with edges made of adobe bricks or mud balls and coated with red stone powder on the outer side. The tomb chambers are built with stones and consist of a passage, central chamber, side chambers on the left and right, and a rear chamber. In front of the burial mounds are large sacrificial pits, wooden carts, wooden slips, glassware, and gold and silver utensils. The silk fabrics feature more than 130 unique patterns including Buddha images, flying horses, and various other designs; some artifacts and patterns exhibit distinct Central Asian stylistic features.

　　    There are over 200 tombs of varying sizes, one of which is situated atop a natural hill. The tomb mound backs onto the Reshui Mountain and faces the Chahanwusu River, rising about 30 meters above the ground and appearing majestic from afar like a grand city gate. The tomb mound is 11 meters high, 55 meters long from east to west, and 37 meters wide from north to south. Beneath the mound are three layers of stone walls mixed with mud and rammed earth, each 1 meter high and 3 meters wide. From top to bottom, at intervals of about 1 meter, there are nine layers of neatly arranged wooden beams that traverse horizontally through the mound, all made of uniformly sized cypress wood. This form and style of burial mound construction is unique among past archaeological discoveries in China. To the south of the tomb are accompanying burial pits and remains.

　　    Archaeological excavations have unearthed artifacts such as leather boots, gold ornaments, wooden bowls, wooden plates, wooden birds and animals, pottery jars, ancient Tibetan wooden slips, and painted cypress wood pieces. A particularly remarkable find was a collection of vibrant silk fabrics, notable for their fine material, clear patterns, and vivid colors, making them rare treasures. The types of silk include twill, damask, satin, and embroidery. The patterns feature exotic birds and animals, flowers and trees, chariots and figures engaged in hunting, depictions of Western Region people, and embroidered socks—all first discovered in China.

　　 Delingha, Qinghai