Chinese pyramids are ancient mausoleums and burial mounds built to house the remains of
several early emperors of China and their imperial relatives. About 38 of them are located
around 25 kilometres - 35 kilometres north-west of Xi'an, on the Qin Chuan Plains in Shaanxi
Province. The most famous is the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, northeast of Xi'an
and 1.7 km west of where the Terracotta Warriors were found. Chinese pyramids were also built
during the Han, Tang, Song, and Western Xia dynasties.
They have flat tops, and thus are more similar in shape to the Teotihuacan pyramids north-east
of Mexico City, Mexico than to the pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Although known in the West
for at least a century, their existence has been made controversial by sensationalist
publicity and the problems of Chinese archaeology in early 20th century.
Recognition in the West
The introduction of pyramids in China to popular attention came in two stages. Many early stories
were focused on the existence of a "Great White Pyramid". U.S. Army Air Corps pilot
James Gaussman is said to have seen a white jewel-topped pyramid during a flight between
India and China during World War II. Colonel Maurice Sheahan, Far Eastern director of Trans
World Airlines, told an eyewitness account of his encounter with a pyramid in the March
28, 1947 edition of The New York Times. A photo of Sheahan's pyramid appeared in The
New York Sunday News on March 30, 1947. This photograph later became attributed to James
Gaussman. Chris Maier showed that the pyramid in the photo is the Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor
Wu of Han, just outside of Xi'an. Pseudohistorians, through promoting their theories, have increased
western awareness of these pyramids. Hartwig Hausdorf speculated it was built by aliens,
and Philip Coppens repeated this theory. Despite claims to the contrary, the existence
of these pyramid-shaped tomb mounds was known by scientists in the West before the publicity
caused by the story in 1947. Shortly after the New York Times story, Science News Letter
published a short item saying: "The Chinese pyramids of that region are built of mud and
dirt and are more like mounds than the pyramids of Egypt, and the region is little travelled.
American scientists who have been in the area suggest that the height of 1,000 feet, more
than twice as high as any of the Egyptian pyramids, may have been exaggerated, because
most of the Chinese mounds of that area are built relatively low. The location, reported
40 miles southwest of Sian, is in an area of great archaeological importance, but few
of the pyramids have ever been explored." Victor Segalen visited China in 1913 and wrote
about the First Emperor's tomb in Mission Archeologique en Chine: L'art funeraire a
l'epoque des Han. Some of the pyramids of Xi'an are now tourist
attractions and several pyramids have small museums attached to them.
Partial list of pyramids in China
Zhou dynasty tombs complex near Luoyang, Henan Tomb of King Ling of Zhou 34.6250°N 112.3753°E﻿
/ 34.6250; 112.3753 Tomb of Three Kings of Zhou 34.6280°N 112.3829°E﻿
/ 34.6280; 112.3829 Zhao Kings' tombs complex near Handan, Hebei
Tomb of King of Zhao state 36.706705°N 114.418852°E﻿ / 36.706705; 114.418852
Yan King's burial mounds in Yixian, Hebei Burial complex in ancient Xiadu 39.304906°N
115.540702°E﻿ / 39.304906; 115.540702 Qin
dynasty mausoleums near Xi'an, Shaanxi Tomb of First Emperor in Lintong 34.381236°N
109.254012°E﻿ / 34.381236; 109.254012 .This is the largest Chinese burial mound. The original
height was 76 metres, the present height is 47 metres, and the dimensions are 357 by 354
metres. It was built during the short-lived imperial Qin Dynasty.
Tomb of Emperor Qin Ershi in Xi'an. Western Han dynasty mausoleums complex in
Xianyang and around Xi'an, Shaanxi Maoling Mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Wu of Han 34.338085°N 108.569684°E﻿ / 34.338085; 108.569684. The size is 222 metres
x 217 metres. Tomb of Empress Li 34.340327°N 108.562002°E﻿
/ 34.340327; 108.562002 Tomb of Princess Yang Xin
Pingling Mausoleum group: Tomb of Emperor Zhao of Han 34.361753°N 108.640108°E﻿
/ 34.361753; 108.640108 Tomb of Empress Shangguan 34.363135°N 108.630538°E﻿
/ 34.363135; 108.630538 Yanling Mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Cheng of Han 34.374896°N 108.698001°E﻿ / 34.374896; 108.698001
Tomb of Empress Xu 34.374648°N 108.684740°E﻿ / 34.374648; 108.684740
Tomb of Consort Ban 34.379801°N 108.704492°E﻿ / 34.379801; 108.704492
Tomb of Empress Zhao Feiyan Kangling Mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Ping of Han 34.397774°N 108.712421°E﻿ / 34.397774; 108.712421
Tomb of Empress Wang Weiling Mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Yuan of Han 34.390303°N 108.739114°E﻿ / 34.390303; 108.739114
Tomb of Empress Wang 34.393242°N 108.733835°E﻿ / 34.393242; 108.733835
Group of two "tombs of Zhou Kings": Tomb of King Wu of Zhou
Tomb of King Wen of Zhou Yiling mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Ai of Han 34.400855°N 108.764606°E﻿ / 34.400855; 108.764606
Tomb of Empress Fu 34.402608°N 108.772545°E﻿ / 34.402608; 108.772545
Anling mausoleum group: Tomb of Emperor Hui of Han 34.422895°N 108.841317°E﻿
/ 34.422895; 108.841317 Tomb of Empress Zhang Yan
Tomb of Marquis Zhang Ao 34.427745°N 108.851209°E﻿ / 34.427745; 108.851209
Tomb of Princess Lu of Yuan Changling mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Gaozu of Han 34.434691°N 108.876647°E﻿ / 34.434691; 108.876647
Tomb of Empress Lü 34.433824°N 108.881292°E﻿ / 34.433824; 108.881292
Tomb of Consort Qi Yangling mausoleum group:
Tomb of Emperor Jing of Han 34.443823°N 108.940784°E﻿ / 34.443823; 108.940784
Tomb of Empress Wang 34.446291°N 108.947500°E﻿ / 34.446291; 108.947500
Baling mausoleum group: Tomb of Emperor Wen of Han
Tomb of Empress Dou 34.235825°N 109.118614°E﻿ / 34.235825; 109.118614
Tomb of Empress Dowager Bo 34.220993°N 109.096341°E﻿ / 34.220993; 109.096341
Duling mausoleum group: Tomb of Emperor Xuan of Han 34.181063°N 109.022312°E﻿
/ 34.181063; 109.022312 Tomb of Empress Wang 34.178951°N 109.028396°E﻿
/ 34.178951; 109.028396 Tomb of Empress Xu 34.12734°N 109.055786°E﻿
/ 34.12734; 109.055786 Eastern Han mausoleums near Luoyang, Henan
Yangling, Shaanxi Tomb of Emperor Wen of Sui 34.28785°N 108.02289°E﻿
/ 34.28785; 108.02289 Xining, Qinghai
The Lianhu Altar 36.632869°N 101.746123°E﻿ / 36.632869; 101.746123
Tang dynasty mausoleums in Shaanxi The eighteen mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty
emperors in the valley of the Wei River north of the Qin Mountains(秦岭). Some are among
the biggest Chinese mausoleums, such as Qianling, joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and
of the Empress Wu Zetian. It is a natural hill shaped by man.
Mausoleum of Emperor Xiaojing of Tang near Goushi, Henan
Tomb of Emperor Xiaojing of Tang 34.63276°N 112.81109°E﻿ / 34.63276; 112.81109
Tomb of Empress Ai Imperial mausoleums complex of Song dynasty
in and around Gongyi, Henan Elsewhere
Shaohao Tomb in Qufu, Shandong - a small pyramid Inner Mongolian pyramid, situated about 1 km
north of Sijiazi Town, Aohan County, vestige of
the Hongshan culture. The site of Niuheliang contains a pyramidal structure too.
Janggun-chong Step Pyramid in Jilin, "Tomb of the General", is supposed to be the
mausoleum of King Jangsu, king of Goguryeo, an ancient Korean kingdom. It
belongs to the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom on the World heritage
list. Nearby is the Taewang-neung / Taiwangling Pyramid believed to be the burial of King
Gwanggaeto the Great; while twice bigger than Janggun-chong, it is in bad shape and Janggun-chong
is touted as the touristic highpoint of the site.
The Western Xia tombs of the Tangut Empire near Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,
northwestern China, a large number of tombs covering some 50 km2 are referred to as 'Chinese
Pyramids'. See also
Chinese architecture Notes
External links Niuheliang Archaeological Site
Center for the Art of East Asia article discussing Western Han pyramidal mounds and Tang Dynasty
tombs Video of the pyramids seen from space
People's Daily - Inner Mongolian pyramid Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. 1993. The Tangut
Royal Tombs near Yinchuan. In Muqarnas X: An Annual on Islamic Art and Architecture.
Margaret B. Sevcenko, ed. Leiden: E.J. Brill. Google Map - Mount Li Mausoleum
Google Map - Maoling Mausoleum Han Yang Ling Mausoleum
Full Map of Chinese Pyramids