Qianling Mausoleum

Wind comes across the loess plateau here, dry and steady, and it carries a fine yellow dust. Under your feet, the long path climbs gently toward a mountain. On either side, stone figures stand in two quiet rows. They have stood in this wind for more than thirteen centuries. Take a moment before you walk. Feel how the ground rises and how the hill ahead fills the sky. That slow climb is part of the design.

This is Qianling, a tomb of the Tang dynasty, one of China's great imperial houses. It lies in Qian County, northwest of Xi'an, in the countryside of Xianyang. Two rulers rest inside the mountain. One is Emperor Gaozong, the third Tang emperor. The other is his wife, Wu Zetian. She did something no other woman in Chinese history did. She took the throne in her own name and ruled as emperor.

Notice first that nobody built a mound here. The Tang builders chose a real mountain, Mount Liang, and cut the burial chamber into its rock. The main peak rises to the north. To the south, two smaller hills stand side by side, like a pair of gates. Each one carries the remains of an old watchtower on top. Locals have a playful nickname for these twin hills, based on their rounded shape. Many visitors say the whole landscape looks like a woman lying on her back.

Gaozong died in 683 and was buried here the following year. Wu Zetian outlived him by more than two decades. During that time she ruled the empire, first through her sons and then directly. She even declared a new dynasty of her own. In 705, a palace coup forced her from power, and she died later that year. Her burial in this mountain came in 706. It is the only known imperial tomb in China that holds two emperors who were husband and wife.

Now look at the path itself. This is the Spirit Way, a ceremonial road that leads the living toward the dead. The stone animals and figures along it are guardians and symbols of the empire. Near the southern end you will find winged horses. They have curling patterns carved on their wings. Close by stand a pair of ostriches carved in relief. Ostriches were not native to China. They arrived as diplomatic gifts from lands far to the west, along the Silk Road.

Further up the path, pairs of horses stand with grooms beside them. After the horses come tall stone officials. They wear long robes and hold swords in front of their bodies with both hands. Their faces are calm and a little stern. Walk slowly between them. In the Tang imagination, these figures formed an honour guard. They were court life turned into stone and set into the hillside so that it would last forever.

Here is the first thing many people miss. Near the southern twin hills, two large stone tablets face each other across the road. On the west side is the Stele of Merits for Gaozong. Its text praises the emperor's life. Tradition says Wu Zetian wrote the words herself. The stone is built from stacked sections, so people often call it the Seven-Section Stele. The carved characters were once filled with gold, though very little of that gold remains today.

Opposite stands its partner, and it is one of the strangest monuments in China. It is the stele for Wu Zetian, and it carries no original inscription. People call it the Wordless Stele. Nobody knows for certain why it was left blank. One popular explanation says she wanted later generations to judge her. Another says her successors could not agree on what to write. Look closely, and you will see later visitors' carvings on its surface. Those marks were added centuries afterward.

Now the second surprise. Beyond the steles, a large group of stone figures stands in neat ranks. These statues represent foreign envoys and rulers. They came from across Central Asia and beyond to attend Gaozong's funeral. Some still carry faint inscriptions on their backs naming their homelands. And almost every one of them has lost its head. The bodies remain, with belts, boots and folded hands. But the shoulders end in flat, broken stone.

What happened to the heads? Nobody knows for sure. Some historians point to earthquakes, which have shaken this region many times. Locals tell a different story. According to one popular tale, villagers believed the statues came alive at night and trampled their crops. So the villagers cut off the heads. It is folklore, not documented history. Still, standing among these quiet, headless figures, it is easy to see how such a story began.

At the top of the Spirit Way, close to the mountain, stone lions guard the approach. Behind them, the slope rises toward the burial chamber. Here is perhaps the most remarkable fact about Qianling. Archaeologists have confirmed that the main tomb has never been opened. Many imperial Tang tombs were robbed long ago. This one appears to have resisted. The entrance passage was sealed with stone blocks joined by iron. Whatever lies inside still rests in the dark.

You can still see Tang art underground, however. Around the main mountain lie smaller satellite tombs for family members and senior officials. Several have been excavated. The best known belong to Princess Yongtai, Prince Zhanghuai and Prince Yide. All three were grandchildren or sons of Wu Zetian. Their tomb corridors hold painted murals. Court ladies carry fans and cups, and riders play polo. If you have time, these tombs show the colour that the stone guardians of the Spirit Way have lost.

Before you leave, turn around and face south, the way the Spirit Way points. The road runs straight down toward the plain. The stone officials and horses line it like punctuation marks. Fields and villages spread out beyond, under that wide, pale sky. Listen to the wind again. Notice the dust on your shoes and the warmth or chill of the stone if you rest a hand on a statue. An empress planned this view. Her blank stone is still standing behind you, still waiting for its words.