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Han Yangling Museum
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Brief Introduction

The Yangling Mausoleum of the Han Dynasty (Hanyangling) is located at Zhangjiawan Village, about 25 kilometers north of Xian City, Shaanxi Province. Situated near Wei River, the museumis a historical site designated for state protection. It is opened to public on September 30, 1999. It is a joint tomb of Liu Qi, a notable emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD), and his empress, Empress Wang. It was built in the year 153 AD, now it covers an area of 20 square kilometers. This mausoleum which combines modern technology, ancient civilization, historical culture and garden scenery is the largest museum in China.

Background Knowlege

Emperor Jingdi (188BC—141BC), named Liu Qi, was the fourth Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. During his 17-year reign, he adhered to the philosophy of Yellow Emperor and Saint Laozi, whose main doctrine was to follow the natural principles. He developed a peaceful relationship with the Huns through intermarriage, and reduced the burden of tax and penalty. According to historical records, “the state revenue of the ancient capital was brimming with coins that the ropes, used for tying,  decayed, leaving them impossible to count. Foods in state storage was permeated, most of them decayed”. Emperor Jingdi, together with his father Emperor Wendi, opened a golden era of harmony in the early feudal society, which was later regarded as “the Great Reign of Wen and Jing”.

The Mausoleums and Different Pits
Thirty odd years of excavation shows that the Hanyangling mausolems is mainly composed of the Emperor and Empress` graveyards, southern and northern burial pits, ritual building, the satellite and criminal`s graveyards, and Yangling town. To the west of them, lies the emperor and empress`tomb, northern and southern burial pits and the remains of ancestral construction. The emperor`s tomb is surrounded by 81 burial pits radiating from the centeral mound. A 110-meter wide Sacred Road, flanked by 10,000 odd satellite tombs of ancient high officials, leads directly to Yangling Town. This scene is similar to ancient morning court held by the emperor.
Objects unearthed from the 200 odd burial pits include armored warrior figures with weapons, elegant palace maids with Han costumes, countless animals with vivid expressions. TheHanyangling is considered to represent the ancient burial custom, “ to attend to the dead as if to attend to the living”. These terracotta warriors are all very small which are only 1/3 of the real human body, but they are all different with different expressions. Most interesting thing is all the terracotta warriros are naked and have no arms. This is because they were provided with real clothes made of cottton, silk and other materis which are alreay rotted after 2,000 years. Their arms were made of wood which are also rotted. Except for warrriors, you can also see some pottery animlas like pigs, dogs, sheep and horses in different pits. All of these reflect the real social life of the Han Dynasty.

Hanyangling is the most intact royal mausoleum and the most important tangible document in the research of burial customs and civilization of the Han Dynasty.

Visisting Enviroment
To protect the original look of the tomb‘s interior and minimize damage to the cultural relics from visitors, the museum designers have built tunnels which are made of special glass that separate visitors from the exhibits.
The most fascinating part of the museum is when visitors enter the exhibition hall, they walk into a time tunnel, sending them him back to a magnificent empire more than two millennia ago.

The underground museum provides a new way to protect the precious relics as they remain underground.

 
Tips
Location
Xi’an Xianyang Airport Express Way Eastern Section
Drive Distance
25 km (40 minutes drive) away from the center of the city
2km (20minutes drive) away from Xian Xianyang Airport
Opening Time
Dec-Feb: 8:30 to 17:00
Mar-Nov: 8:30 to 17:30
Ticket Price
Dec-Feb: RMB 65yuan per person
Mar-Nov: RMB 90yuan per person
Visiting Time
one and  half  hours
 
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