Ma'er Mountain Cemetery

　　    Located in Fengman District, Jilin City, Jilin Province, covering an area of approximately 8 square kilometers, this is a large cemetery near the capital of the Fuyu Kingdom during the Han Dynasty. It is known to contain about 4,000 tombs, with an estimated total of tens of thousands of burials. These tombs date from the late Western Han Dynasty to the mid-Jin Dynasty, spanning a period of about 600 years. Most are earthen pit vertical shaft tombs, featuring wooden coffins and Han-style burial mounds sealed with black clay and earth. Artifacts unearthed include pottery, lacquerware, bronze ware, ironware, and silk textiles. There are also a small number of cave tombs and stone cairn tombs, the latter belonging to the Goguryeo culture. Horse gear and other items found in the cemetery exhibit characteristics of nomadic horse-riding peoples, reflecting cultural exchanges between the Fuyu people and the Xianbei, Goguryeo, and Eastern tribes. Numerous relics from the Warring States and Han periods have been discovered nearby. In 1996, the Ma'er Mountain Cemetery was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

　　    Historical research indicates that in the early Western Han Dynasty, the Mo tribe within the Huimo ethnic group saw its prince Dongming, unwilling to endure marginalization, lead his people southward from the lower reaches of the Nen River to the plains at the foot of Dongtuan Mountain on the east bank of the Songhua River. Here, they formed a new ethnic community—the Fuyu people—along with the local indigenous She people (a subgroup of the Huimo). In 108 BCE (the third year of Emperor Wu of Han’s Yuánfēng era), they established their capital at “Nanchengzi” (a flatland city at the southern foot of Dongtuan Mountain in Jilin City), naming their kingdom Fuyu. Fuyu was the first slaveholding state in China’s northeast, lasting 600 years. It maintained long-term friendly tributary relations and a subordinate status with the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties.

　　    Based on excavated artifacts and historical texts, and through careful analysis and research by archaeologists, it has been confirmed that the Ma'er Mountain ancient tomb complex mainly consists of burial sites for nobles and commoners of the Fuyu, a minority regime from the Han and Wei periods, with a small number of tombs belonging to Han Chinese from the Han Dynasty. The discovery of the Ma'er Mountain ancient tomb group is of great historical significance. It confirms that Jilin City was the location of the early capital of the Fuyu Kingdom, and aids in studying the rise and fall of China’s first northeastern slaveholding state, the production and living customs of minority groups in the region at the time, as well as cultural exchanges with the Central Plains. From 1989 to 1997, the Jilin Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, in collaboration with the Jilin City Museum, excavated over 200 various types of tombs and unearthed more than 2,000 artifacts. Among the grave goods were jade, stone, and bead ornaments, as well as bronze, iron, pottery, gold, and silver items. Fragments of silk textiles such as cloth and silk, along with typical Central Plains Han Dynasty objects like the Sunlight Mirror and lacquer ear cups, were also found. The discovery of Xinmang-era "Huòquán" coins indicates that a significant portion of the tombs date back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. Judging from the main tomb structures at Ma'er Mountain and the types of weapons and pottery unearthed, these align with the burial customs and commonly used items of the Fuyu people. Residents of the Fuyu capital were buried on the southern mountains, referred to as "burying the dead on the southern mountain of the kingdom." This "southern mountain of the kingdom" is believed to be the southern mountain of the Fuyu royal capital. Ma'er Mountain and Guigai Mountain are situated southwest of Nanchengzi and the Longtan Mountain site. The discovery of the Ma'er Mountain tombs not only provides strong evidence for the location of the early Fuyu royal capital but also offers a wealth of valuable physical materials for studying the production and daily life of the Fuyu people in the Jilin region during the Han and Wei periods.

　　    The Ma'er Mountain Cemetery is distributed across several hills and slopes, including Ma'er Mountain, Xishan, Nanshan, and Pianlian Mountain in Jiangnan Township, Jilin City, covering a total area of about 8 square kilometers. Since the discovery of two tombs on Ma'er Mountain during high-voltage line construction in 1985, Jilin Provincial cultural relics archaeologists have explored the site five times over the following decade, excavating 162 tombs and unearthing nearly 2,000 artifacts. Through drilling and density calculations, it is estimated that the cemetery contains at least 6,000 tombs, possibly exceeding 10,000.

　　    Among the excavated tombs, the six excavation areas of the Nanshan tomb cluster are relatively concentrated on the western slope and the eastern ridges, while there are also tombs on the southern slope, though these have not been excavated. In some areas, on small ridges less than 100 meters long, there are over a hundred tombs, indicating a high density. Tombs are also found on the summit and all sides of Ma'er Mountain, leading to the inference that Ma'er Mountain served as the central hub of the cemetery. The larger tombs on the mountaintop suggest the higher social status of the buried individuals. Additionally, each tomb cluster shows a long span of continuous usage, with various forms of tombs overlapping or cutting into one another.

　　    Moreover, several contemporaneous settlement sites have been discovered around the cemetery, including mountain fortresses such as Longtan Mountain Fortress, Dongtuan Mountain Fortress, and Tiantai Ancient City, as well as flatland settlements like Nanchengzi at the foot of Dongtuan Mountain, Tuchengzi in the Jiangbei urban area, and Guandi Ancient City, built on the river terrace opposite Longtan Mountain Station.

　　    The fortress walls on the mountain do not necessarily indicate the location of the Fuyu Kingdom’s capital, but the large number of tombs and the diverse forms of burial structures show that the ancient city had a dense and prosperous population, including a significant number of nobles.

　　    These tombs date from the late Western Han Dynasty to the mid-Jin Dynasty, spanning about 600 years.

　　    The wide variety of unearthed artifacts attests to the level of development of Fuyu culture at the time.

　　    Although several excavations have yielded many artifacts from the Ma'er Mountain Cemetery, they are relatively disorganized, primarily because all the tombs had been looted. Complete sets of burial goods were mostly missing, and what was recovered mostly consisted of leftover items after looting, some no longer in their original placement.

　　    The types of artifacts found in the tombs are numerous, mainly including pottery, stone tools, jade, agate ornaments, gold and silverware, bronze, ironware, woodwork, lacquerware, and silk textiles, totaling nearly 2,000 pieces, demonstrating the level of Fuyu cultural development. Among the surviving artifacts, ornaments are the most numerous, followed by chariot and horse gear, tools and weapons, containers, and pottery. “In truth, every tomb likely had such burial goods, but some were severely damaged during looting and are irreparable,” Wang Hongfeng noted. His greatest regret is also the many broken and fragmented artifacts resulting from disturbance, which not only diminish the value of the tombs and relics but also greatly complicate the sorting and research efforts.

　　    Decorative patterned bricks

　　    The excavated tombs are mainly divided into four types. Few pottery items have been found in the tomb pits or wooden coffins (or coffins with outer coffins), with only fragments that are difficult to restore. Only 29 pottery pieces have been reconstructed, including pots and jars, although the jars vary greatly and clearly do not all come from the same period. However, 25 pieces were collected, some featuring prints, generally rectangular in shape but with a smaller back than front, likely due to ease of demolding during production. The sides and backs of the bricks often feature faint square or diamond-shaped indentations, likely intended to enhance adhesive strength during construction. The patterns on these bricks are quite varied, with diverse compositions, and the size and thickness of the brick blanks differ significantly. It appears they were used decoratively rather than for simple construction, but their exact purpose and placement remain unclear.

　　    A wide variety of metal items

　　    Gold and silver items, mainly used as ornaments, have been unearthed in several larger tombs, with a rich variety. Tube rings make up a significant proportion, along with plaques and inlaid decorative pieces. The unearthed ironware is heavily rusted and not well preserved. Functionally, they include tools, weapons, chariot parts, and horse gear, distributed across various tomb clusters.

　　    Meanwhile, bronze items from the tombs are more numerous, with the largest quantities being ring decorations, bracelets, armlets, and wrist ornaments, followed by chariot and harness fittings such as bridles, wheel hubs, axles, and bells, as well as a small number of containers and tools like hu, plugs, and crossbow mechanisms, plus remnants of bronze mirrors and other ornaments. All the bronze items are made of bronze alloy, mostly cast, with some bronze ring decorations featuring gold plating. Depending on alloy composition and thickness, preservation conditions vary: finer items such as rings and clasps are heavily corroded, while others like bridles and mirrors show only slight rust and are better preserved.

　　    A large number of glass beads and agate stones

　　    The Ma'er Mountain Cemetery has yielded a small number of stone and jade artifacts, with simple types: jade items are all pendants, and stone tools mainly consist of portable grinding stones. However, a large number of glass and agate bead ornaments have been discovered. In the excavated tombs, nearly 90% contain scattered beads, with some tombs yielding dozens or even hundreds, showing the Fuyu people's fondness for such ornaments. In addition to necklaces and wrist strings, some of these beads were also used as earrings.

　　    In one large tomb excavated at the summit of Ma'er Mountain, over 500 shattered and scattered glass beads were found. After restoration, they formed a colorful glass bead necklace. The tomb's occupant was undoubtedly a high-ranking military officer—since only generals wore iron armor at the time, and this tomb is the largest among all excavated ones, located on the mountaintop, indicating the very high status of its owner.

　　    Rare silk fabrics were also unearthed

　　    Twenty-seven silk fabric items were excavated from the tombs. Most of these came from the Xishan tomb cluster, with a small portion from the Nanshan tomb cluster. Expert appraisal identified the types as including wool satin, silk, gauze, brocade, and damask, with decorative motifs including ink paintings and embroidery. This reflects a relatively high level of socio-cultural development in the Fuyu Kingdom.

　　    “It should be said that the ancient ethnic group that left behind the Ma'er Mountain Cemetery, while not ‘sending all their gold, silver, jade, and silk to the dead,’ still practiced elaborate burials and certainly did not do so carelessly.” Moreover, Wang Hongfeng explained that judging by the placement of the artifacts, pottery or metal containers were not placed inside the coffins but rather at one end on top of them. “This shows that later generations engaged in remembrance and ceremonial offerings for their ancestors.”

　　    Among the 162 excavated tombs, Tomb 18 in the Xishan I area “yielded the most artifacts.”

　　    Tomb 18 contained a diverse array of items, including one porcelain jar, six pottery jars, lacquerware ear cups, double-linked silver shell ornaments, and various types of horse gear with wooden cores wrapped in bronze. Among the 27 silk fabric pieces unearthed, the majority also came from this tomb. It also included a hand-painted silk “soul-guiding” painting. From this, it is inferred that the occupant of Tomb 18 held a relatively high status in life, owned horses, and possessed certain wealth. The discovery of numerous silk items and paintings suggests he may have been a civil official.

　　    The large number of artifacts unearthed from Tomb 18 greatly encouraged the archaeological team. “There are more tombs like this—one out of every two among the 162 excavated tombs is similar to Tomb 18 in scale. Moreover, most of these large tombs are located on Xishan.” Yesterday, they set off for the Ma'er Mountain Cemetery to begin their archaeological plan. “Xishan will be our primary excavation site. It’s highly possible we’ll uncover the tomb of a Fuyu king there.”

　　    Additionally, this archaeological operation will also excavate Longtan Mountain Fortress, Dongtuan Mountain Fortress, and Guandi Ancient City. Through step-by-step excavation and exploration, the mystery of the Fuyu Kingdom’s capital location will gradually become clearer.

　　    “The Fuyu Kingdom was the earliest political power in the northeast. The Book of the Later Han recorded: ‘Since ancient times, it has never been defeated.’ But the true face of the Fuyu Kingdom has long lacked precise and detailed historical records.” Wang Hongfeng said that currently, historical documentation about the Fuyu Kingdom is relatively scarce. This archaeological effort will reveal the economic and cultural level of the Fuyu people at the time. Not only will it help confirm the exact location of the Fuyu Kingdom’s capital, but it will also greatly enrich China’s historical knowledge about the Fuyu Kingdom.