Tomb of Crown Prince Yide
Lying to the southeast of Qianling
is the tomb of Prince Yide - the first son of Emperor Zhongzong.
He died in 701AD when he was only 19 years old. In 705,
when Zhongzong returned to the throne, Prince Yide was awarded
posthumously the title of Crown Prince Yide and in 706 his
remains were moved to the Qianling. A mound and walls surround
the tomb of Prince Yide enclosing it in a rectangle. To
the south of the walls was a pair of stone lions, stone
figures (one was destroyed and only the pedestal remains),
and a pair of obelisks (destroyed and buried in the earth
when they collapsed). The tomb consists of a tomb tunnel,
three doors, seven air-shafts, eight niches, and tomb chambers.
It is altogether 10.8 metres in length.
Over 40 impressive well-preserved mural
paintings in the tomb depict court life including guards
of honor, the Blue Dragon, White Tiger, city walls, watch
towers, musicians, men-servants and maids of honor showing
Li Chongrun's special identity. For example, in the Tomb
of Princess Yongtai are 12 painted halberds; the Tomb of
Prince Zhanghuai has 14, while there are 48 in an emperor's
mausoleum. The paintings of Eagle Out For Hunting, Maids
of Honor, and Display of Halberds are rich in color and
design, making them a feast for the eyes.
The carved sketches on the stone outer coffin
are fine and smooth and they give a good expression to the
features of the Tang-style carved sketches: smooth, clear
and powerful. More than 1,000 pieces of historical relics
have been unearthed from the Tomb of Crown Prince Yide,
including pottery figure, tri-color glazed figures, other
earthen wares, as well as gold, bronze and iron wares.
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