Hanyangling

The site wows you with a different army of terra cotta warriors from the Han Dynasty displayed in a different way.

Hanyangling is also known as The Mausoleum of the Emperor Jing Di, the fourth emperor of Han Dynasty, who enjoyed a nice reputation of tax cuts, imposing less harsh punishment on his people, living a simpler life which laid foundation for the empire’s fast grwoing wealth and his son’s great achievement in war against the Huns.

Built from 153BC and finished 126BC, Hanyangling covers over 20 square kilometers and is only 20 kilometers from Xian Xianyang International Airport. It comproses the Emperor’s tomb  and the Empress’s tomb, a ceremonial site and a massive prison labors’ graveyard.

The Emperor’s tomb is a large mound like a topless pryamid with 81 radial auxiliary burial pits on its four sides. Each of these pits acts as a major department serving the Emperor’s daily life. 10 excavated burial pits are displayed under insulated glass underground. Excavated seals such as The Seal of Cheif of Royal Kitchen, The Seal of Minister of Royal Affairs and The Seal of the Supervisor of the Emperor’s Disfavored Concubines prove the emperor’s wish to live his afterlife exactly the way he lived. There are over 50,000 doll-sized terra cotta figures and countless terra cotta livestocks unearthed. These armless and naked figures originally had wooden arms attached and worn clothes which had rotten away over the years. There is also a holographic movie telling the story of the emperor and his empress.

To the south of the Emperor’s tomb lies remains of the original surrounding walls and its south gate.

The Empress’s tomb which sits about 500 meters northeast away is smaller in size with 28 auxiliary burial pits.

There is also an exhibition hall housing unearthed artifacts from the tomb compound and it can be reached by a trolly shuttling between.