About 80 kilometers west of Xi'an situated on Liangshan Hill, Qianling was the joint tomb of Emperor Tang Gaozong (Li Zhi, 628 A.D.-683 A.D.) and Empress Wu Zetian (624 A.D.-705 A.D.), the only Empress in Chinese history.

Located on Liangshan, Qianling Tomb was built in 684 AD. According to the records the inner city, about 240 square meters, followed the rectangular layout of Chang'an city with four gate on each side named clockwise: the Phoenix in the south, the Tortoise north, the Black Dragon east and the White Tiger west. The city comprises the inner city and the outer. Many splendid buildings such as dedicatory halls and gate towers were built.

Stone Carvings

If you stand at the southern approach to the mausoleum you can appreciate the original Tang layout and design. If you start from the southern approach, which is between two prominent small hills, a scared avenue lined by animal and human statues leading all the way to the tombs is Qianling's most impressive feature, creating an awe-inspiring effect. From distance, the hills greatly resemble a pair of women's breasts, incurring the tale that Emperor Tang Gaozong had them constructed to honor the natural beauty of his wife.

Among the exquisite carvings of the Tang, first there comes two winged horses galloping and then two vermilion birds like ostriches. Five pairs of saddled horses come next, each with a groom. The most noteworthy is ten pairs of guardian generals with very large heads, wear long-sleeved robes and hold the hilts of long swords.

Qijie Bei (Tablet of Seven Elements)

A tablet west to the Phoenix Gate consists of seven joints, which symbolize the Seven Elements (seven essence of the world) - the Sun, the Moon, Metal, Wood, Water, Earth, and Fire. The tablet 6.3 meters high, 1.86 meters wide and 61.6 tons weight was built to record Gaozong's political achievements and military exploits. The pedestal was engraved with animal figures. The inscription is a hand of Emperor Zhongzong and composed by Emperor Wu Zetian. The gold filed characters can still be discerned now.

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About Xian

. A sub-provincial . This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation) . Encyclopedia of Modern Asia© on Xi¡¯an . Wade-Giles ( . A province, . The Chinese phrase Four Great Ancient Capitals of China (Traditional Chinese: ÖЇøËÄ´ó¹Å¶¼; Simplified Chinese: ÖйúËÄ´ó¹Å¶¼; pinyin: Zh¨­nggu¨® S¨¬ D¨¤ G¨³d¨±) traditionally refers to Beijing, Nanjing, Luoyang, and Xi¡¯an. . Zhou Dynasty . Early career . Western and Eastern Zhou . Xi??an West Peak (Xi Feng) . Qin Dynasty . Oppression During Zheng¡¯s Rule . Qin Shi Huang . Xianyang

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