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The Mausoleum of Shaohao () is located in the north-east of Jiuxian Village, on the eastern outskirts of the city of
/ref> The entire pyramid is 28.5 metres wide and 8.73 meters high. On its flat top stands a small pavilion that houses a statue, variously identified as the Yellow Emperor or Shaohao. The mound and tomb stands inside a compound with many old trees, chiefly thujas planted on the orders of the
File:Shaohao Ling stele - P1050751.JPG, Stele
File:Shaohao - temple courtyard - P1050734.JPG, Courtyard
File:Shaohao - gates - P1050731.JPG, Gates of the tomb
File:Shaohao Tomb - temple gable figure - P1050758.JPG, Gable figure
File:Shaohao - tumulus with a Shaohao Ling stele in front of it - P1050741.JPG, Front-on view of tomb and stele, from the back of Shou Qiu
The Mausoleum of Shaohao () is located in the north-east of Jiuxian Village, on the eastern outskirts of the city of Qufu
Qufu ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Shandong province, East China. It is located about south of the provincial capital Jinan and northeast of the prefectural seat at Jining. Qufu has an area of 815 square kilometers, and a total population of ...
in Shandong Province
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...
, China. The mausoleum complex honours Shaohao
Shaohao or Shao Hao ( "Lesser Brightness"), also known Jin Tian (金天), was a legendary Chinese sovereign. Shaohao is usually identified as a son of the Yellow Emperor. According to some traditions (for example the ''Book of Documents''), he is a ...
, the son of the first mythical Chinese ruler (the Yellow Emperor
The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch or by his Chinese name Huangdi (), is a deity ('' shen'') in Chinese religion, one of the legendary Chinese sovereigns and culture heroes included among the mytho-historical Three Soverei ...
) and one of the mythical five emperors himself.
The mausoleum complex is best known for the pyramidal monument which stands in front of the tomb itself, and which is often mistaken for the tomb. Called "Shou Qiu
Shou Qiu () is a historical site on the eastern outskirts of the city of Qufu in Shandong Province, China. According to the legend, Shou Qiu is the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor.
Shou Qiu itself is today marked only by a pyramidal monument, ...
" ("mound or hill of longevity"), this monument marks the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor according to legend. It is unique in China because of its pyramid-shaped stone construction. It consists of a mound that has been covered with stone slabs during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
in 1111 CE.Peter Valder, Gardens in China, Timber Press, 2002, p. 111/ref> The entire pyramid is 28.5 metres wide and 8.73 meters high. On its flat top stands a small pavilion that houses a statue, variously identified as the Yellow Emperor or Shaohao. The mound and tomb stands inside a compound with many old trees, chiefly thujas planted on the orders of the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
of the Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
, who visited the site in 1748.
The rather unusual design of this monument has long attracted visitors' notice. As Rev. A. Williamson, who visited the site in 1865, wrote:
The tomb proper is only a few metres behind Shou Qiu. Shou Qiu was originally separate from Shaohao's tomb, but after the 12th century renovation of the tomb became part of the same complex that also included a shrine dedicated to the Yellow Emperor, and other buildings. When the tomb was renovated in 1738, the remainder of the complex had long disappeared, so a sacrificial hall was built for Shaohao (as was traditional for large tombs). As a site of mythological significance itself Shou Qiu had to be preserved, so the sacrificial hall was built in front of Shou Qiu, and the pyramid was enclosed into the complex. The tomb itself is the large earthen tumulus behind the pyramidal monument.
Although there are no records of the excavation of the tomb itself, in 1978 excavations of the grounds of the enclosure uncovered various artefacts identified as Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
stone axes and shovels, and ceramics.
References
{{reflist Qufu Pyramids in China Monuments and memorials in China Buildings and structures in Shandong Mausoleums in China