Tang Jingling Mausoleum

Introducing Emperor Xizong's Jingling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty
Emperor Xizong's Jingling Mausoleum lies 85 km (53 mi) northwest of Xi'an. Jingling Mausoleum is a Tang Dynasty (618-907) imperial tomb. Jingling Mausoleum is where Emperor Xizong, the 18th emperor of the Tang Dynasty was buried. Emperor Xizong was born on June 8, 862. His name at birth was Li Yan and changed to Li Xuan before became the third last emperor of the Tang Dynasty. In 873, he was put on the throne by eunuchs at the age of 12. He spent his 27 years of life playing and fleeing while his empire was ruled by eunuchs. He was a devotee of rooster fighting, goose gambling, and all kinds of entertainment activities. He was extremely good at playing polo. His most absurd decision was to pick the regional military governor of today's Sichuan by polo competition. Emperor Xizong began his first fleeing experience from his capital Chang'an to Chengdu in December 880 before the rebel general Huang Chao captured Chang'an. He returned to Chang'an in March 885. He had to start his second fleeing trip first from Chang'an to fengxiang and then to Hanzhong in December 885. He finally returned to his capital Chang'an in February 888 and died on Mar 6, 888. He was buried at Jingling Mausoleum in Dec, 888. Emperor Xizong was responsible for the downfall of the Tang Dynasty. By the end of Emperor Xizong's reign, the Tang state had virtually disintegrated into pieces ruled by individual warlords, rather than the imperial government, and would never recover, falling eventually in 907.

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Emperor Xizong's Jingling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty Fast Facts
• Name in Chinese: Tang Jing Ling 唐靖陵
• Best Time to Visit: All year round
• Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 hour
• Distance from Xian: 85 km (53 mi)
• Opening Hours: All day
• Entrance Fee: Free
• Address: Nanling Village, Tiefo Township, Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province
• Address in Chinese: 陕西省乾县铁佛乡南陵村东南

What to expect at Emperor Xizong's Jingling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty
Emperor Xizong was the last Tang Dynasty emperor to be buried in Xian and his tomb was the last emperor's tomb in Xian. Both Emperor Xizong and his successor did not have the power and wealth to build a tomb as grand as their ancestors. As a result, Jingling Mausoleum is the smallest, simplest and cheapest Tang Dynasty imperial tomb. Its spirit way was placed with reduced number of small size, simply carved statues. Ornamental columns were the smallest in size, no ostrich was placed, and the number of saddled horses and government officials were respectively reduced to three pairs. Jingling is the fourth Tang Dynasty imperial tomb built in the form of square base "pyramid", with a trapezoid, heaped burial mound. Standing at 8.6 meters (28 ft), the base of this tomb is measured to be 40 meters (131 ft) square. The burial mound was surrounded by an inner wall, with a perimeter of 1,920 meters (6,299 ft). Four gates were opened on the inner wall's four cardinal directions, namely: south vermilion bird gate, north black tortoise gate, east azure dragon gate, and west white tiger gate. Each gate was guarded by two stone lions. Jingling Mausoleum had been looted for many times in history and the last time was in 1994. In March 1995, this tomb was officially excavated by archaeologist. When the tomb chamber was uncovered, archeologists were surprised to find that the underground palace was so small and so simple; they only found about 100 low grade artifacts. Jingling Mausoleum is the only Tang Dynasty imperial tomb being excavated. Today, only a few of the stone sculptures survived through the ages, two guardian lions are standing by the south vermilion gate. Other surviving stone sculptures include two tiny ornamental columns, one winged horse, five saddled horses, three civil officials, and one military official along the spirit way.

How to get to Emperor Xizong's Jingling Mausoleum of Tang Dynasty
• Jingling Mausoleum lies 85 km (53 mi) northwest of downtown Xian.
• There is no public transportation from Xian to Jingling Mausoleum.
• Rent a car/bus from GGC to enjoy a hassle free private transfer from hotels in Xian to Jingling Mausoleum.