Near Sandong Bridge outside the West Gate of Chengdu, Sichuan
Province, an earthen terrace rises from the flat ground. Although
only slightly more than fifteen meters high, which is not
considered tall, it is quite prominent on the flat land of Chengdu.
For many years it has been known as Zither-Playing Terrace; some
say it was Sima Xiangru, a famous man of letters of the Western Han
Dynasty, and others say it was Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms
Period, who played the zither there. In the absence of reliable
historical records of artifacts to serve as conclusive evidence,
the riddle persisted for centuries.
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In 1942, excavation by archaeologists finally solved the
riddle. The mound is, in fact, not a Zither-Playing Terrace, but an
ancient imperial tomb, the Yongling Mausoleum of Emperor Wang Jian
of the state of Former Shu in the Five Dynasties period
(907-960)
Tomb of Wang Jian
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Also known by the courtesy name of Guang Tu, Wang Jian (847-918)
was a native of Wuyang, Xuzhou (modern Wuyang County, Henan
Province). In the early years of his career, he was a general of
the Tang Dynasty. During the last years of the dynasty, the Central
Plain was torn by war and the military governors set up separatist
regimes; the Tang Dynasty was in a state of disintegration. Along
with Tang Emperor Xi Zong, Wang Jian fled to Sichuan in 886 and was
appointed Governor of Lizhou (modern Guangyuan, Sichuan). In 891,
Wang Jian captured Chengdu, engaged in territorial expansion and
gradually controlled Dongchuan, Xichuan and more than 40 other
regions. In 903, during the reign of Tang Emperor Zhao Zong, he was
made the Prince of Shu.
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In 907, the Tang Dynasty perished and Wang Jian proclaimed
himself emperor in Chengdu, titled his dynasty Great Shu
(historically known as Former Shu) and was the founder of the state
of Former Shu of the Ten States in the Five Dynasties period. The
Former Shu had two emperors in two generations spanning 23 years,
with jurisdiction over an area roughly corresponding to modern
Sichuan, the southeastern section of modern Gansu and southern
section of modern Shaanxi, and the western section of modern Hubei
Province, a massive territory.
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According to historical records, during the period of the Five
Dynasties and Ten States, all China was disintegrating because of
incessant wars. Because Wang Jian promoted in Sichuan a policy of
exacting light corvee and taxes, and safeguarding the territory to
ensure security for the people, the situation in the state of
Former Shu was relatively stable, so agricultural production was
able to develop.
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What remains of the Yongling Mausoleum of Wang Jian after more
than 1,000 year of weather and wear is only a 15-metre-high,
rounded earthen mound whose surroundings have long been farmland.
Although original descriptions of this ancient mausoleum and its
surroundings are no longer available, the vast and prosperous land
area Wang Jian governed and the fact that the state of Former Shu
enjoyed many years of stability, suggested that the architectural
scope of the mausoleum and park was probably quite impressive.
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Accounts written during the Song Dynasty mention as many as 500
or more murals in the Yongling Mausoleum's palatial buildings above
ground; this adds to the probability of architecture on quite a
grand and magnificent scale. In recent years, the vicinity of the
mausoleum has yielded parts of great stone statues of civil
officials, similar in height to the stone statues at Qianling
Mausoleums of Emperor Gao Zong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang
Dynasty. This confirms placement of stone human and animal statues
in front of the Yongling Mausoleum.
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It is noteworthy that under the mound of the mausoleum are
foundations built of rectangular stone slabs, which served well to
preserve the mound. This form of construction was not common in
mausoleums of the Qin, Han, Tang and Song dynasties which preceded
and followed this period, but it developed into tall
baocheng, i.e., mounds surrounded by high, castle-like
walls of imperial mausoleums in the much later Ming and Qing
dynasties.
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Wang Jian's underground palace is different from that of
the mausoleums of the north in that it is not buried deep
underground but only slightly underground with the bulk buried
inside the mound above ground. Composed of fourteen sections of
double stone arches, the Underground Palace is divided into Front,
Middle and Back Chambers separated by wooden doors and measuring a
total length of 23.4 meters. The Front Chamber corresponds in other
tombs to the passage leading to the coffin chamber. In the second
section, separated from other sections by double stone arches, are
remnants of elegant colored paintings in patterns of bunches of
lotus sprigs, typical ancient Chinese decoration. Gilded brass
knockers of animals faces with tings in their mouths and gilded
knobs on the vermilion gates are all original.
Domed chamber of Wang Jian's tomb
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The Middle Chamber, larger than the others, is the main room in
the Underground Palace. At its center is a "Sumeru throne" built of
bluish-white marble and serving as the coffin platform, on which
are placed Wang Jian's inner and outer coffins. On the east, west
and south faces of the platform are exquisite sculptures of female
professional dancers and musicians. On the south face are two
carvings of dancers, and one carving of a pipa (a plucked
string instrument with a fretted fingerboard) player and another of
a clapper beater. On the east face are ten carvings of drum
beaters, di (bamboo flute) players and others. On the west
face are ten carvings of chi (single-tube transverse
bamboo flute) and panpipe players and others.
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These 24 superbly sculpted female professional dancers and
musicians have full figures and plump, smooth countenances,
exhibiting the distinguishing features of Tang Dynasty beauties.
Their broad sleeves gently flowing, the dancers are lightly poised;
and the musicians, with musical instruments in their hands, appear
natural, vivid and lifelike; they epitomize an ensemble of palace
dancers and musicians of the Five Dynasties period. This group of
stone sculptures of dancers and musicians is not only a rare,
exquisite work of art, but also important solid materials for
research in the history of ancient music and dancing.
Musician carved on the coffin platform
Musician carved on the coffin platform
Musician carved on the coffin platform
Musician carved on the coffin platform
?At the base of the four sides of the coffin platform are
twelve three-dimensional busts of warrior figures, appearing to
emerge from under the ground. Helmeted, and with faces against the
coffin platform, they appear to be concentrating their full
strength in their hands which securely support the entire platform.
Done with exquisite craftsmanship and with vivid expressions, they
are indeed rare, excellent works of art.
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In the Back Chamber is an "imperial bed" on which Wang
Jian's stone statue is set. Ninety-six centimeters high, the statue
sits upright, wears a folded head dress and a robe girdled at the
waist with a jade belt. The hands are interlinked in the long,
narrow sleeves. With deep-set eyes under heavy eyebrows, a high
bridged nose and prominent cheekbones, and a solemn, serene
countenance, the visage basically matches the image of Wang Jian
depicted in historical documents.
Stone statue of Wang Jian
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Apart from the underground palace architecture and stone
sculptings preserved in the mausoleum, many important cultural
relics were unearthed from the tomb, including a big jade belt,
aice (flat jade pieces inscribed with the eulogy read at
the sacrificial offering at burial of an emperor or empress),
shibao (seal engraved with the posthumous title conferred
on an emperor or empress), silver bowl, silver case, silver pig and
others. They are precious materials for research in the histories
and the arts of architecture, painting, sculpture, music, dancing
and other facets of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.
