Han Weiling, Imperial mausoleum in Shaanxi, China.
Han Weiling is the joint burial complex of Emperor Yuan of Han, Liu Shi, and Empress Wang Zhengjun, located in Xinzhuang, Zhouling Township, Weicheng District, Xianyang, Shaanxi. The square cemetery enclosure measures 400–410 m per side. The emperor's tomb is a truncated pyramid with a base of 175 m, a top of 50 m and a height of 25 m; the empress's slightly smaller tomb lies 380 m to its northwest.
Han Weiling is the joint burial complex of Emperor Yuan of Han, Liu Shi, who died in 33 BCE, and his empress Wang Zhengjun, buried in separate pits within one cemetery. The square enclosure measures 400 to 410 metres per side, with the emperor's flat-topped earthen pyramid at its centre. In 1957 it was listed as a Shaanxi provincial cultural relic (no. 138), and in 2001 it entered the fifth national list of key cultural relics as one of the Western Han imperial tombs.
The tomb complex is named Weiling after the Wei River plain where it lies, and locals call the flat-topped imperial mound a "jiao" or inverted-bucket shape. The empress Wang Zhengjun rests in her own smaller pyramid about 380 m northwest of her husband's, a joint burial in separate pits. Twelve accompanying tombs lie about 800 m northeast, including those of Wang Feng and Wang Mang's wife.
The mausoleum lies at Xinzhuang village, Zhouling township, Weicheng district, Xianyang, Shaanxi. The square cemetery enclosure measures 400 to 410 metres per side, with the emperor's flat-topped mound at its centre; Empress Wang Zhengjun's smaller pyramid stands 380 metres to the northwest, Fu Zhaoyi's tomb 350 metres to the northeast, and twelve accompanying tombs about 800 metres to the northeast. The site is an open earthen complex, so plan for walking between the mounds.
The flat top of Emperor Yuandi's pyramid holds a raised plateau; one theory holds that this feature inspired Genghis Khan's own tomb design. The empress Wang Zhengjun's slightly smaller pyramid lies just northwest of the emperor's mound.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,463 contributors worldwide.