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Tomb of Duke Jing of Zhongshan

The Tomb of Duke Jing of Zhongshan is located at the eastern foot of Lingshan Mountain, southwest of Mancheng County of Henan Province.

The mausoleum belongs to Liu Sheng, Duke Jing of Zhongshan and his wife. According to a historical record, Liu Sheng was named Duke Jing of Zhongshan in 154BC and died in 113BC.


The mausoleum was excavated in 1968. Aligned from north to south the two tombs stand facing each other. The coffin chamber was constructed to imitate the layout of the imperial hall. The tomb of Liu Sheng is 51.7 meters long, 37.5 meters wide and 6.8 meters high and includes a passageway, storeroom, stele, front and back hall. Situated in the cave, the wooden front hall has a tiled roof with a bronze pot, bells and kettles buried inside. The back hall, which contains a jade bed, also has a bathroom and an advanced sewer system.


Altogether there have been 4,200 delicate objects unearthed in the two tombs, such as the Changxin Palace Lunar, the Boshan Pot inlaid with gold, including many other gold and silver pots. Two complete jade suits sewn with gold thread were also unearthed in the tomb -- the first jade garments discovered in the world. Since only high-class individuals were permitted to wear jade clothes, Duke Jing of Zhongshan must have been of a high status. The unearthed antiques are stored at the antique research center and the Museum of Henan Province.

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