As the tallest and grandest imperial mausoleum of the Han Dynasty, Maoling epitomizes the elaborate burial customs prevalent in early Han China. Its construction lasted for 53 years, consuming one-third of the empire’s annual fiscal revenue back then. Standing 46.5 meters high — exceeding the stipulated height limit for imperial tombs — this inverted-pyramid mound has a perimeter of nearly one kilometer. Western scholars have hailed it as "China’s Pyramid". The underground palace was crammed with burial artifacts with no room to spare, and ruins of numerous mausoleum buildings can still be seen across the site.

From the Han and Tang dynasties onwards, statesmen, scholars and literati have left countless poems, calligraphic works, couplets and horizontal inscribed boards here, fostering the splendid Maoling Culture. Representative verses include: "Mist veils Maoling, burying royal swords and regalia; stone horses stand silent amid chilly tangled weeds." — Xue Feng, Tang Dynasty "Fine steeds of the Han came from Puxiao... Pines and cypresses at Maoling rustle in the rain." — Li Shangyin, Tang Dynasty "Sweet osmanthus blooms beneath painted railings; moss grows green over the palaces old." — Li He, Tang Dynasty "You stand foremost among all heroes; your lonely tomb still towers toward the clouds." — Xu Kaixi, Qing Dynasty "How lofty and grand Maoling rises, a majestic sight far and wide." — Fei Shangbin