Han Yang Ling

Welcome to Han Yang Ling, the joint mausoleum of Emperor Jing, the fourth ruler of the Western Han Dynasty, and his consort, Empress Wang. Located on the Xianyang Plateau north of Xi’an, this site is a profound departure from the…

Your first stop is the Exhibition Hall, where the most exquisite individual finds are displayed in climate-controlled cases. Here, you can get a close look at the diversity of the Han figurines. …

Descend now into the Underground Museum, a marvel of modern museum design opened in 2006. Here, the atmosphere is cool and quiet, designed to maintain the precise temperature and humidity needed to protect the exposed relics. …

As you continue through the underground corridors, you will encounter pits filled not with soldiers, but with thousands of terracotta animals. This is a vivid display of the 'Six Domestic Animals'—the horses, cattle, sheep,…

In a stark contrast to the elegant dancers and sturdy horses, Pit 19 contains figurines that represent the darker side of imperial life: the prisoners. These figures were once depicted in iron collars and chains, reflecting the…

Stepping out from the underground museum, you find yourself at the foot of the main burial mound, or 'Feng-tu,' of Emperor Jing. It is a massive, man-made hill of rammed earth, standing approximately 33 meters high—about the…

To the west of the burial mounds lies an unexpected treasure: a vast forest of ginkgo trees. If you are visiting in late autumn, you will find yourself in a world of brilliant, shimmering gold. …

Our journey through Han Yang Ling concludes where it began, at the intersection of the ancient past and the modern plateau. We have walked over the glass floors of the underground museum, seen the 'Oriental Venus' figurines that…