Millennium-Old Royal Tomb Uncovered in Gansu Northwest China

Gansu958Nov 20, 2019

In November 2019, Chinese archaeologists have uncovered a Tuyuhun royal tomb of dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) in northwest China's Gansu Province, according to the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

In November 2019, Chinese archaeologists have uncovered a Tuyunhun royal tomb dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) in northwest China's Gansu Province, according to the Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.

Buried under a mountain in Chashan Village, Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, the tomb was confirmed to be the rest place of Murong Zhi, a member of Tuyuhun royal clans in Wuzhou Reign (690 – 705AD).

It is a single bricked tomb with a passage and a chamber. The passage still retains some colored mural paintings on the wall, and over 220 articles were excavated from the tomb chamber, including painted earthware pots, lacquer wood, silks, gold objects and pottery figurines of soldiers as well as sculptures of animals and iron armory.

Among them, the well-preserved silk fabrics are precious relics, from which one could see the bright colors and exquisite patterns. Especially the yellow embroidered silk covered on the coffin indicates the consummate silk weaving skills in Tang Dynasty.

The most notable burial article is the scripted seal that clearly shows the identity of the tomb owner, Murongzhi, the third son of the last ruler of Tuyuhun Kingdom. The epitaphs tell that the prince died of sickness at age of 42.

About 15km northeast of the tomb site, nine more Tuyuhun royal mausoleums were unearthed between 1940s and 1980s, including tombs of the Qinghai emperor Murong Zhong, Honghua Princess and the magistrate of Jincheng County.

Living on the ancient Silk Road, Tuyuhun was a nomadic tribe establishing their own kingdom, which contributed a lot to the trade and culture exchange on the ancient Silk Road between the east and west until the Tibetans destroyed their empire. Thus the newly-found royal tomb becomes a treasurable relic to trace the ethnic history and culture of ancient China.