Qianling Mausoleum

Tang dynasty joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian. Massive scale; the spirit way is lined with monumental stone statues.

Qianling Mausoleum, 80 kilometres northwest of Xi'an in Liang County, is the joint burial place of Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi, died 683 CE) and his wife Wu Zetian (died 705 CE), the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor in her own name. The choice of Liangshan Hill as the tomb location follows Tang geomantic principles: the mountain's three peaks form the appearance of a sleeping woman, and the two lower peaks are known popularly as 'Breasts of the Empress'. The tomb itself — carved into the solid rock of the mountain — has never been excavated, making it one of the largest and most significant unexcavated Tang imperial sites.

The sacred way leading south from the tomb mound is approximately four kilometres long and constitutes the most substantial element of the site for visitors. It is lined with 124 carved stone figures: paired statues of guardian lions, winged horses, and cinnabar birds at the southern entrance, followed by pairs of standing officials and foreign envoys — an arrangement that maps the Tang court hierarchy in stone. The heads of many official figures were removed in an uncertain historical episode, and the decapitated statues are now a distinctive visual feature of the site. At the tomb platform stands Wu Zetian's 'Wordless Stele' — a tall blank stone monument that she had erected for her own burial, uncarved. Whether the blank surface was intentional (a statement that her merits exceeded language) or left unfinished remains a matter of interpretation.

Satellite tombs of Tang princesses and court officials excavated in the 20th century yielded the murals and figurines now in the Shaanxi History Museum. The Qianling site itself displays several tomb structures alongside the spirit way. The 80-kilometre distance from Xi'an means a hired driver is the practical approach; allow a full day.