What distinguishes Maoling’s accompanying tombs from others of the Han Dynasty is their profound symbolic implications, exemplified by the tombs of Wei Qing, Huo Qubing and Lady Li.

The mound was fashioned after the Qilian Mountains. At the age of 18, Huo Qubing joined the army under General Wei Qing to campaign against the Xiongnu and won numerous victories. He fought fearlessly across the Hexi Corridor and the Qilian Mountain range, routing the main Xiongnu forces after long-distance battles. His triumphs fully opened up the Silk Road to the Western Regions and secured and expanded the empire’s northwestern frontier, earning him illustrious military feats.

Huo Qubing passed away in 117 BC, the sixth year of the Yuanshou reign, at the young age of 24. He was posthumously titled Marquis Jinghuan, an honor commending his prowess in defeating enemies, pacifying remote lands and expanding Han territory. Deeply grieved by his death, Emperor Wu of Han dispatched elite armored troops, who lined up all the way from Chang’an to Huo Qubing’s tomb at Maoling. The mound was built to resemble the Qilian Mountains, a lasting tribute to his extraordinary achievements.

Its mound was shaped to imitate the Lushan Mountains (Yin Mountains). Wei Qing, Huo Qubing’s maternal uncle, held the highest military rank of Grand General during Emperor Wu’s reign. A brilliant tactician adept at both frontal assaults and ingenious stratagems, he led seven expeditions against the Xiongnu without a single defeat. He and Huo Qubing were known as the "Twin Pillars of the Empire". Wei Qing pioneered the Han army’s long-range cavalry raids against the Xiongnu, writing a new chapter in the wars between the two sides.

Despite his towering military prestige and immense political influence, Wei Qing never formed cliques. He treated his soldiers with kindness and shared hardships with them, winning great respect. Records of the Grand Historian praised him as a general "surpassed by none even among the famed warriors of old". Wei Qing died in 106 BC, the fifth year of the Yuanfeng reign, and was given the posthumous title Marquis Lie. He was buried beside his nephew Huo Qubing at Maoling, with his tomb mound modelled after the Yin Mountains.

Historically known as Yingling Mausoleum. Empress Wei Zifu was barred from being buried at Maoling due to the Witchcraft Scandal, and Lady Gouyi, mother of Emperor Zhao of Han, was also convicted and laid to rest at Ganquan Palace. After Emperor Wu’s death, Huo Guang, the Grand General, posthumously conferred the title of empress upon Lady Li. According to Book of Han, she was reburied with full imperial empress rituals.

Her tall mound resembles a millstone — wider at the base and narrower at the top, with a circular ridge running around the middle, hence its folk name Millstone Tomb. The folk tale of the Millstone Tomb is a touching story advocating virtue. Lady Li was renowned for her peerless beauty that could "overturn cities and kingdoms", yet she died young. Emperor Wu composed a lengthy elegy Lament for Lady Li in memory of her, with the mournful line: "Alas and grief-stricken, I call upon your soul!