Maoling Mausoleum

The tomb of Emperor Wu of Han—Liu Che (157 BC—87 BC), Maoling Mausoleum, is located about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) away from Xi'an City. This mausoleum is called ‘the Chinese Pyramid' since it is not only the largest but also holds the richest burial contents of all the mausoleums of Emperors constructed during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC—24 AD) and took the longest time, 53 years, to build.

Liu Che was the fifth Emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. He was a great feudal Emperor who could parallel Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the founder Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC—206 BC). During his 54-year reign, he exerted himself to make the country prosperous by consolidating and strengthening the unification of many nationalities. With his great talent, he made the Western Han Dynasty's power reach its highest peak and also opened the famous Silk Road.

Surrounded by the city wall, the cemetery is quite square. The city wall is 431 meters (about 1,414 feet) long from east to west and 415 meters (about 1,362 feet) long from south to north. In the center of each wall, there is a door.

Now, the ruins of the east, west, and north doors are still in well-preserved condition. The whole mausoleum is lofty and majesty. It is like a great cone in shape and even resembles a pyramid without its top. It is 46.5 meters (about 153 feet) high and the side length at the bottom, the widest part of the tomb is about 240 meters (about 787 feet). According to historical records, Emperor Wu used one-third of the taxes to build his tomb and it was filled with an abundant array of burial objects, many of which are now exhibited in Maoling Museum.

Around Maoling Mausoleum, more than 20 tombs now still accompany Emperor Wu. Most of them are the tombs of imperial wives, meritorious ministers and worthy nobles. Here also to be found is the Tomb of Huo Qubing, which is much more famous for its magnificent stone carvings.

TIPS

1.Basic info

Address: Xingping, Xianyang, Shaanxi

Ticket：

Peak season: (March 1st-November 30th) Tickets: 80 CNY/person

Low season: (December 1st to the end of February) Tickets: 60 CNY/person

Free for children below 3.9 feet (1.2 meters)

* The entrance ticket includes the museum and the mausoleum.

Opening time: 8:00-18:00

2.Transportation

Xi’an route:

Take the intercity bus in the west station of Xi’an, to get off at the terminal Xingping first bus station and transfer to No.11 bus (from Xingping to Dingzhou) to Maoling Mausoleum Museum.

Xianyang route:

Take No.4 bus in Qichangshizi (from Xianyang to Xingping), to get off at the intersection of Fujiaqiao Road and transfer to No.11 bus mentioned above (to Maoling Mausoleum Museum).