The Western Xia mausoleums occupy an area of some 50km2 (19sqmi) at the foot of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwestern China, and include nine imperial mausoleums and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials of China's Western Xia dynasty. This burial complex lies some 40km (25mi) westward from capital city of the Western Xia, the Xingqing fu or Xingqing, what is modern-day Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.[1]
Some 17,000m2 (180,000sqft) have so far been excavated, and efforts are underway to secure and preserve the remains of this poorly understood era.[2]
History
The Western Xia dynasty, existed between 1038 and 1227, when it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan. The empire was founded by the Tangut ethnic group, about which little is currently known. Of current excavations, only the No.3 mausoleum has been adequately excavated and researched. This mausoleum is attributed to Western Xia's first emperor Jingzong, born Li Yuanhao, (1003–1048), has been determined as a pavilion-tower construction fusing both traditional mausoleum and temple styles with Buddhist characteristics.[2]
The Western Xia capital city and the burial complex eluded early 20th century explorers of Central Asia, including Pyotr Kozlov, Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin. During modern times, it was first reported by Wulf-Dieter Graf zu Castell, who recorded the site in an aerial photograph, published in 1938 in his book Chinaflug.[1]
Imperial mausoleums
Reconstruction of Mausoleum 3
The area occupied by the Western Xia tombs runs from south-west to north-east along the eastern edge of the Helan Mountains, and is about 12 km in length, and up to 2.5 km in width. The nine imperial mausoleums are arrayed from south to north over a distance of about 10 km, with the earliest emperors buried at the south, and the later emperors buried towards the north.
Each mausoleum has a similar layout (see plan of Mausoleum 2 below), in general comprising a rectangular outer enclosing wall (waicheng 外城), with a pair of gate towers (quetai 鵲臺) at the south end, then one or more pavilions (usually a pair) housing memorial steles (beiting 碑亭), then a rectangular barbican (yuecheng 月城) in front of the entrance to a square or rectangular inner enclosure (lingcheng 陵城), with watch towers (jiaoque 角闕) at the four corners. The solid tomb mound built over the site of the burial is constructed from rammed earth. It is positioned off-centre, in the north-west part of the inner enclosure, and is up to 30 metres across and 23 metres in height. There are holes in the tomb mounds that would have originally supported woooden beams, and as very large numbers of tiles have been found in each mausoleum, it is believed that the surviving mounds are the cores for a more substantial architectural monument, coated with bricks and with tiled eaves and decorative sculptures at each level.[3]
Plan of Mausoleum 2
Mausoleums 1 and 2 are situated close together at the southern tip of the tomb complex, and are the two largest tombs, with their outer enclosure both measuring 340 × 224 metres. These two are believed to be occupied by the grandfather (Li Jiqian) and father (Li Deming) of Li Yuanhao, the first Emperor of the Western Xia.[4][5]
Stele bases of Tomb no. 3
Mausoleums 3 and 4 are about 4 km further north, with Mausoleum 3 at the eastern edge of the tomb area, and Mausoleum 4 situated about 2 km to the west, close to the side of the mountains. It is believed that Mausoleum 3 is occupied by Emperor Jingzong (1st emperor, reigned 1038–1048) and Mausoleum 4 is occupied by Emperor Yizong (2nd emperor, reigned 1048–1068).[4][5]
About 2 km further north are Mausoleums 5 and 6, which are believed to be occupied by Emperors Huizong (3rd emperor, reigned 1068–1086) and Chongzong (4th emperor, reigned 1086–1139) respectively.[4][5]
About 3 km further north are a group of three mausoleums for Emperors Renzong (5th emperor, reigned 1139–1193), Huanzong (6th emperor, reigned 1193–1206), and Xiangzong (7th emperor, reigned 1206–1211).[4] This area was developed for industrial use during the 1970s, and part of Mausoleum 7 and most of Mausoleums 8 and 9 were built over, although the tomb mounds still survive. The buildings from the 1970s have now all been demolished.
There are no mausoleums for the last three Western Xia emperors, Shenzong (8th emperor, reigned 1211–1223), Xianzong (9th emperor, reigned 1223–1226), and Modi (last emperor, reigned 1226–1227), probably because the Western Xia empire was destroyed by the Mongols before there was time to build their tombs.[4] However, it has been suggested that Tomb 161, which is the largest other tomb in the tomb complex (165 metres long and 100 metres wide) is the joint imperial tomb for Emperors Shenzong and Xianzong.[6] This tomb is situated about 200 metres south-west of Mausoleum 6 (for Emperor Chongzong), and although it is large compared with the other ordinary tombs, it is still smaller than the imperial mausoleums, and does not share the same complex layout as the imperial mausoleums. If Shenzong and Xianzong are buried in Tomb 161, then it would be the only mausoleum that does not follow the south-to-north order.
The Western Xia or the Xi Xia, officially the Great Xia, also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as Mi-nyak to the Tanguts and Tibetans, was a Tangut-led Buddhist imperial dynasty of China that existed from 1038 to 1227. At its peak, the dynasty ruled over the modern-day northwestern Chinese provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, eastern Qinghai, northern Shaanxi, northeastern Xinjiang, and southwest Inner Mongolia, and southernmost Outer Mongolia, measuring about 800,000 square kilometres.
Emperor Renzong of Western Xia, born Li Renxiao, was the fifth emperor of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty of China. His reign from 1139 to 1193 was the longest among all Western Xia emperors.
Emperor Chongzong of Western Xia (1084–1139), born Li Qianshun, was the fourth emperor of the Western Xia dynasty of China, ruling from 1086 to 1139. His reign began at the age of three, when his father Li Bingchang died. He remained under the regency of the Empress Dowager Zhaojian until she was poisoned in 1099 by a Liao envoy.
Li Jiqian (963–1004), occasionally also known by his Song-bestowed name of Zhao Baoji (趙保吉), was a Tangut leader and progenitor of China's Western Xia dynasty. He resisted the Song dynasty and organized a rebellion in 984. He also created a successful alliance with the Liao dynasty for military support. Li Jiqian arranged a peace agreement with the Song emperor, but violated the treaty himself. To avoid costly military campaigns, Emperor Zhenzong of Song made Li Jiqian the jiedushi of Dingnan (定難節度使), and recognized Li Jiqian's new autonomous rule. He supported the construction of irrigation canals that were crucial for the development of agriculture in the arid areas of northwestern China, especially around the capital Xingqing.
The term Chinese pyramids refers to pyramidal shaped structures in China, most of which are ancient mausoleums and burial mounds built to house the remains of several early emperors of China and their imperial relatives. About 38 of them are located around 25 kilometres (16 mi) – 35 kilometres (22 mi) north-west of Xi'an, on the Guanzhong Plains in Shaanxi Province. The most famous is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, northeast of Xi'an and 1.7 km west of where the Terracotta Army was found.
Emperor Shenzong of Western Xia (1163–1226), born Li Zunxu, was the eighth emperor of the Tangut-led Chinese Western Xia dynasty. He ruled from 1211 to 1223.
Emperor Huizong of Western Xia (1060–1086), born Li Bingchang, was the third emperor of the Tangut-led Chinese Western Xia dynasty, ruling from 1067 to 1086.
Emperor Yizong of Western Xia (1047–1068), sinicized name Li Liangzuo, was the second emperor of the Western Xia dynasty of China, reigning from 1048 to 1067. Yizong was also known by his Tangut name Ningling Liangcha (寧令兩岔). "Ningling" was his Tangut title, which meant "Grand Prince", while "Liangcha" (兩岔) was his personal name.
Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia (1003–1048), born Li Yuanhao or Tuoba Yuanhao, also known as Zhao Yuanhao (趙元昊), Weiming Yuanhao (嵬名元昊) and Weiming Nangxiao (嵬名曩霄), was the founding emperor of the Western Xia dynasty of China, reigning from 1038 to 1048. He was the eldest son of the Tangut ruler Li Deming.
Emperor Xiangzong of Western Xia (1170–1211), born Li Anquan, was the seventh emperor of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty of China, reigning from 1206 to 1211. He launched attacks on the Jin dynasty, but eventually surrendered to the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan.
Emperor Xianzong of Western Xia (1181–1226), born Li Dewang, was the ninth and penultimate emperor of the Western Xia dynasty of China, reigning from 1223 to 1226. He was the second son of the Emperor Shenzong who had abdicated in his favor.
The Western Qing tombs are located some 140 km (87 mi) southwest of Beijing in Yi County, Hebei Province. They constitute a necropolis that incorporates four royal mausoleums where seventy-eight royal members are buried. These include four emperors of the Qing dynasty and their empresses, imperial concubines, princes and princesses, as well as other royal servants.
The Qianling Mausoleum is a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi province, China, and is 85 km (53 mi) northwest from Xi'an. Built in 684, the tombs of the mausoleum complex house the remains of various members of the House of Li, the imperial family of the Tang dynasty. This includes Emperor Gaozong, as well as his wife, Wu Zetian, who assumed the Tang throne and became China's only reigning female emperor from 690–705. The mausoleum is renowned for its many Tang dynasty stone statues located above ground and the mural paintings adorning the subterranean walls of the tombs. Besides the main tumulus mound and underground tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian, there are 17 smaller attendant tombs, or peizang mu. Presently, only five of these attendant tombs have been excavated by archaeologists, three belonging to members of the imperial family, one to a chancellor, and the other to a general of the left guard. The Shaanxi Administration of Cultural Heritage declared in 2012 that no further excavations would take place for at least 50 years.
Li Deming (981–1032) was the eldest son of Li Jiqian and the father of Li Yuanhao, the founder of China's Western Xia dynasty. When his father died in battle in 1004, Li Deming became leader of the Tangut people, and over the next twenty years he considerably expanded the territory controlled by the Tanguts. In 1028, he named his son Li Yuanhao as crown prince. He died of natural causes in 1032. Li Deming was officially accorded the temple name "Taizong" (太宗) and the posthumous name "Emperor Guangsheng" (光聖皇帝) by the Western Xia dynasty.
Baisigou Square Pagoda was a brick pagoda in Helan County, Ningxia, China, built during the early years of the Western Xia dynasty (1038–1227), circa 1075–1076. It is situated in an isolated location about 10 km into the Baisigou Valley on the eastern side of the Helan Mountains, northwest of Yinchuan, but may have been the site of an important Buddhist temple during the Western Xia. The pagoda was illegally destroyed in 1990; archaeological investigation of the ruins has uncovered a large number of Tangut artefacts and Buddhist relics, including books and manuscripts written in the Tangut language and script.
The Han Yang Ling, or the Yang Mausoleum of Han, is the mausoleum of Emperor Jing, the sixth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and his Empress Wang. The mausoleum complex is a part of the Western Han dynasty imperial tombs located in the Weicheng district of the City of Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, on the northern bank of the Wei River and about 20 km to the north of the city center of the provincial capital of Xi’an.
Lady Mozang, posthumous name Empress Xuanmu Huiwen, was a consort of Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia. She was regent of Western Xia during the minority of her son Emperor Yizong of Western Xia in 1048 from 1056.
Mozang Epang was an ethnic Tangut statesman and chancellor of the Western Xia dynasty of China during the reign of the Emperor Jingzong and Emperor Yizong.
Ningling Ge was a crown prince of the Western Xia dynasty and the fourth son of the Emperor Jingzong, the founding monarch. Ningling Ge was a member of Tangut Weiming (嵬名) clan.
Empress Xiancheng, of the Yeli clan, was a Western Xia empress as the first empress of Emperor Jingzong.
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