Qianling Mausoleum

Qianling Mausoleum stands on Liangshan Mountain, 6 kilometers north of Qian County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. It is one of the Eighteen Tang Imperial Mausoleums in the Guanzhong region of Shaanxi. Construction began in 684 AD and took 23 years to be largely completed.

The mausoleum boasts a grand and imposing presence. Its layout follows the architectural pattern of Chang'an, the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty. Liangshan Mountain is a conical limestone massif with three peaks. The northern peak is the highest, standing at an altitude of 1,047.9 meters, and Qianling Mausoleum is situated right atop it. The two lower peaks on the southern side face each other from east to west, with the Sacred Avenue running between them, hence they are named the "Breast Peaks".

Historical records show that the mausoleum was originally enclosed by two layers of city walls, with four gates and numerous magnificent structures including sacrificial halls and gate towers. Archaeological surveys reveal that the inner city covers a total area of 2.4 million square meters. On the four sides of the city wall stand four gates: the Vermilion Bird Gate to the south, the Black Tortoise Gate to the north, the Azure Dragon Gate to the east and the White Tiger Gate to the west.

Starting from the first gate of Qianling, there are 537 stone steps with a total elevation difference of 81.68 meters. At the end of the steps lies a wide flat path leading straight to the stele of Tomb of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, which is known as the Sacred Avenue.

Lining both sides of the avenue are a pair of ornamental pillars, one pair of winged horses, one pair of ostriches, five pairs of stone horses, ten pairs of stone human statues and two stone tablets. The Wordless Stele stands on the east side, while the Monument in Praise of the Sage Ruler is on the west. Also displayed here are 61 statues of foreign envoys and a pair of stone lions.