Qianling Mausoleum
乾陵
The joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu Zetian, built into Mount Liang. It features stone sculpture avenues and the blank stele, and it is the only Tang imperial tomb that was never looted.
Qianling Mausoleum is on Mount Liang in Qian County, Xianyang, about 80 km from Xi'an. It is the joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, and Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history. Of the eighteen Tang imperial tombs, it is the only one that was never looted. The mausoleum uses the northern peak of Mount Liang as its tomb mound. Two peaks to the south face each other like breasts, which is why they are called the 'Breast Peaks'. Between them runs a Sima Avenue about 1 km long, lined with ceremonial pillars, winged horses, ostriches, stone horses, stone figures, and 61 'Foreign Envoy' statues, most of which are missing their heads. At the end stand Wu Zetian's blank stele and Emperor Gaozong's Shengji Stele. Subsidiary tombs include those of Prince Zhanghuai, Prince Yide, and Princess Yongtai, whose tomb passages feature exquisite murals. Admission costs about 82 to 100 yuan, with separate fees for the subsidiary tombs. Plan for about 3 hours. It can be combined with Yuanjia Village for a day trip.
Opening hours
March-November 08:00-18:00; December-February 08:30-17:30
Nearby sights
- Mawei Post Village
- Yuanjia Village
- Zhaoling Mausoleum
- Maoling Mausoleum
- Louguantai
- Chongyang Palace
- Xianyang Museum
- Kunming Pool & Qixi Park