A Chinese expert revealed that there are no plans to open the
1,300-year-old Qianling mausoleum, the tomb of Wu Zetian, the
famed Tang dynasty empress.
Located 80 kilometers northwest of Xi'an, in Shaanxi Province, Qianling Mausoleum is the
tomb of Wu Zetian, who wielded power for half a century, and that
of her husband, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It
is the only tomb in China containing the remains of an emperor and
an empress.
Wu Zetian became Empress Consort in 655 and soon rose to power
as an eminence grise. Initially she ruled through a succession of
puppet emperors but in 690 she full doffed herself with the title
of Emperor -- the only woman in China ever to do so. She fell from
power in 705 and was buried in the tomb 22 years after her
husband.
Qianling Mausoleum, carved out of a mountainside, is estimated
to contain as much as 500 tons of cultural treasures including
jewels, calligraphy, paintings, silk and ceramics. The mausoleum
has also never been robbed.
Qin Jianming, an administrator with Qianling Mausoleum Museum,
contends: "Whether or not we have the capabilities to protect the
relics there, it's better to leave the imperial mausoleum
undisturbed."
Though a tentative archaeological investigation has been carried
out, much work remains to be done, Qin said, adding that there are
no detailed plans for protecting the relics should the imperial
mausoleum be opened.
"Archaeological workers can guess the inner structure of the
imperial mausoleum through the information obtained during the
preliminary investigation, which was largely restricted to the
surface area of the mausoleum," said Qin, who has been working at
the museum for more than two decades.
However some venal individuals favor a large-scale excavation to
bring the entombed relics to light, hoping to attract 5 million
tourists annually and to local economic development a great
boost.
Despite any economic windfalls, Qin stands firmly opposed to any
such move.
"Opening the mausoleum in pursuit of hidden treasure will
humiliate our ancestors and damage Chinese culture," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)
