Han Tombs of the Xiao Kings

　　   The Han Tombs of the Xiao Kings are situated about 4 kilometers north of Jining City, south of Xiao Wangzhuang Village and its surrounding area, approximately 300 meters east of the Ji-Wen Highway. Commonly known as the "Nine Maidens' Tombs" or "Jiu Nu Dun," they date back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. There were originally nine large earthen mounds, scattered across the site. According to Volume One of the Jining County Annals under the section “A Brief Account of the Territory,” it is recorded: “The Nine Maidens’ Mounds are located five li north of the county, totaling nine mounds—seven to the west and two to the east, irregularly aligned toward each other.” Currently, the locations of six mounds can still be confirmed. In 1977, they were listed among the first batch of Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in Shandong Province.

　　   With approval from the higher cultural relics authorities, from 1992 to 1995, the Jining Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics conducted an emergency excavation and restoration of Tomb No. 1, revealing the magnificent underground palace of a royal tomb from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Research has confirmed that this tomb belonged to Liu Shang, the King of Filial Piety and grandson of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. Judging from the excavation of Liu Shang’s tomb, the earthen mound is over ten meters high, and the internal chamber covers an area of more than 700 square meters with a height of 12 meters. The structure follows the standard design for a feudal prince’s tomb, consisting of a tomb passage, east and west side chambers, an antechamber, a front chamber, and a rear chamber. The tomb is semi-underground, with a sloping ramp passage 21 meters long. The east side chamber measures 4.4×3.4 meters, and the west side chamber 5.8×4 meters. To reach the antechamber from the passage, one must pass through the two side chambers and three sealed door walls made of brick. The front chamber is 1.6×8.5 meters, and the rear chamber is 10.9×8.1 meters. All are paved and roofed with square stone slabs, with the burial chamber enclosed by a stone vault. Between the stone vault and the burial chamber lies a corridor 0.6–0.9 meters wide. Within the five-layered coffin, the remains of the tomb owner were dressed in a silver-threaded jade suit, the second-highest funerary honor in the Han Dynasty, only next to the golden-threaded jade suit reserved for emperors.

　　   The tomb is a typical all-stone structure from the Eastern Han Dynasty. The stone blocks used (known as huangchangshi or “yellow intestines stones”) feature numerous clerical script inscriptions. It is estimated that there are over 800 exposed inscriptions, each ranging from just one or two characters to more than ten. These inscriptions are carved all over the corridor walls, ceiling, sealed doors, and the huangchangshi slabs of the coffin platform. They indicate the origins of the building stones, as well as marks left by stonemasons from various feudal states and counties at the time. The calligraphy is concise, naturally structured, and plain in style—a distinct folk style separate from the standard clerical script seen on Han Dynasty steles. Based on dating, this script predates the mature clerical styles of famous steles such as the “Ritual Vessel” (Li Qi) and “Historical Morning” (Shi Chen) steles, making it of significant academic research value. These over 800 inscriptions, comprising more than 4,000 clerical characters, represent a major discovery of Han Dynasty stone inscriptions in China. They hold great importance for the study of the evolution of ancient Chinese writing and calligraphy art, and also serve as an unintentional but precious artistic legacy left behind by the highly esteemed tomb owner.

　　   Since the tomb was looted in ancient times, only three first-class national cultural relics and some pottery and stone artifacts were unearthed during the excavation. Tomb No. 1 of the Xiao Kings is the first of its kind among the excavated Eastern Han imperial tombs in China to have been restored and opened to the public. Among known tombs from the Han Dynasty, it also contains the largest number of inscribed stone fragments, making it exceptionally valuable. Since its opening in 1996, it has attracted a large number of scholars and tourists from both China and abroad.