From the dust, China's past rises again

An ongoing excavation of what could be the tomb of an ancient Chinese empress shows how such finds could be treated in the future

At the foot of Wan'an Hill, there is a large tomb with heavy security and a huge protective shield temporarily built over it. The site is in Luoyang, Henan province, which was the capital of 13 empires or kingdoms over two millennia of Chinese history.

It is commonplace for locals to see ongoing excavations for cultural relics. But for Shi Jiazhen, director of the Luoyang City Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute, the excavation of a tomb in Xizhu village, on the southeastern outskirts of Luoyang, is extraordinary, one of the biggest finds in recent years.

About 400 cultural relics have been unearthed so far during the excavation of the Cao Wei tomb in Xizhu village in Luoyang. Photos by Wang Kaihao / China Daily and Zhang Xiaoli / For China Daily

 

The site was discovered by villagers who were moving their family graveyards in July last year.

"No coffin was found, and many frescoes and bricks had been destroyed by tomb robbers," Shi says. "But that doesn't lessen the significance of the find. It's the tomb of a high-ranking person from Cao Wei, probably an empress, according to our studies of its shape and its seven-layered structure."

Cao Wei (220-265) was one of three states in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), which was founded by Cao Pi on a foundation left by his father Cao Cao, a powerful warlord at the end of Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).

Based on studies of the site, combined with historical records, archaeologists believe the tomb belongs to the empress of Cao Rui, the second emperor of Cao Wei.

Although the tomb has been vandalized many times, from the Song (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) period, about 400 cultural relics have been unearthed so far, including jade, pottery and stone funerary objects.

One of the finds is an amber figurine of a woman riding a sheep. It would have been state-of-the-art at the time and is a national treasure, Shi says.

"The tomb is built in a simple style, with characteristics of the Eastern Han Dynasty," Shi says. "However, its extraordinarily large scale gives it a royal aura."

For instance, the burial chamber is 12 meters deep, 18 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, and has a 36-meter tomb passage, according to Wang Xianqiu, the archaeologist in charge of the site.

"We've also surveyed about a 1 million square meters around the tomb, and found an even bigger tomb 400 meters away," Wang says.

"It could be Cao Rui's tomb, but we have decided not to touch it."

A common practice among today's Chinese archaeologists is not to rush to excavate old emperors' mausoleums, even though their locations are confirmed.

For four years in a row, projects undertaken by Shi's institute have been included in the Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries in China, based on an annual survey of experts. The list is organized by China Cultural Relics News.

"I'm confident that the discovery of this Cao Wei tomb will be on that list," Shi says. "But apart from gaining honor, it's more important to let citizens participate in archaeological excavations and learn the history of their hometown."

Shi hopes to turn the nearly 7-hectare area around the site into a tourist destination for visitors to see archaeological work, despite of the fact that the area is earmarked to be part of a wildlife park.

The proposal was recently approved by the local government, but details are still to be worked out.

"How unique and interesting the zoo will be if we build a small archaeology theme park within it," Shi says.

Under his plan, visitors would be able to see archeologists at work in a laboratory, as well as visit a museum to see displays of artifacts unearthed from the tomb.

"We've exerted a lot of effort promoting cultural relics in Luoyang," he says. "However, nothing will be more effective than if we can allow the public to see the treasures and make them a part of their daily lives."

The project in Xizhu is only the start of Shi's concept to blend archaeology with urban construction. He regrets that cultural relics have became "a burden" on development of the city.

"There is a common practice: If an important archaeological site is found, construction is forbidden within 100 meters to protect the site," he says. "And many sites are backfilled with earth after studies are finished.

"That is a waste if they are used only by academia and not known by the public," he says.

But some changes have occurred recently. For instance, on the campus of Luoyang No 6 High School, a section of the city wall of the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907) was found when a building was being renovated last year.

"It is a part of the imperial palace, and it's as thick as 15 meters," says Zhang Longdan, who leads archaeological work at the site.

"The walls offer a crucial reference for us to study layouts of ancient capital cities and contain much information on the political, military and economic systems of the time."

Nevertheless, the archaeological team chose not to interfere with the renovation of the building but worked with the school to modify the construction blueprints.

"I was worried that the construction would be stopped when the ruins were found," says Shi Linxu, principal of the high school. "But we finally worked out a plan to cover the site with glass and turn it into a miniature museum. This will be a highlight of our school."

The attraction will be open not only to students but to visitors.

Similar ideas are also being considered by other institutions in Luoyang.

Institute director Shi says there are at least five such projects involving schools, a market and even a military facility.

"You can imagine what will happen if we continue this effort for a decade or more," he says. "These cultural sites in every community will form an incomparable landscape, not only for China but for the whole world."

He says it takes a long time to get approvals for each project because of regulations governing archaeological sites. But he's an optimist.

"As more projects are approved, things will get easier," he says.

wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn