Tomb of the Han Prince of Lu

　　The Tombs of the Han Prince of Lu are distributed across Jiulong Mountain and Ting Mountain in the southern part of Qufu City, as well as Siji Mountain in Zoucheng City, Shandong Province. They contain the tombs of ten out of the fourteen princes of the Han Principality of Lu and are ancient burial sites from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 8 CE).

　　There are eight Han tombs in total, all carved into mountainsides with their entrances facing south. They are arranged side by side from east to west. The structure of the tomb chambers is largely similar, consisting of a passageway, eastern and western side chambers. The tomb entrance leads directly to the front chamber, which contains model carts. On either side of the front chamber, small passageways lead to the two side chambers—the eastern one storing grain and the western one storing meat. On both sides of the front chamber, small southern passages lead to corresponding northern and southern side rooms, all four of which share the same structure. The tombs feature an intact drainage system running from front to back. In total, the four main tombs contain 12 carts, 50 horses, and 368 horse and cart ornaments.

　　Carved into mountainsides, the scale of the Tombs of the Han Prince of Lu is massive and relatively rare in northern China. They hold significant value for the study of the imperial tomb system of the Han Dynasty as well as the history and culture of the Lu region. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)