Mystery of the Qianling Mausoleum

Author: Zhang Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Introduction In July 1, 1960, Shaanxi Province had planned to open the underground palace of Qianling. Later, when seeking approval from Zhou Enlai, the Premier immediately penned a note on the "Plan for Qianling Excavation": "We cannot finish the good deed completely; this matter can be left for future generations to complete." The excavated passage had to be backfilled, and this backfilling lasted nearly half a century. In these half a century, how many yearning people have passed away, and how many have endured bitter waiting in hope?
Night Reading of Qianling with Arms Crossed Located northwest of Xi'an, Qianling is a mausoleum containing two emperors. One is Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi, and the other is Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor of the Zhou Dynasty. Two emperors from different dynasties, one male and one female, are an absolute rarity in the world. Wu Zetian was more famous than Li Zhi, marking the beginning of China's "yin dominance and yang decline." The stories of her life have been passed down from grandfathers to grandsons for thousands of years, and even grandsons with beards recount them to their own grandsons. Her grand mausoleum may be the only one among the Tang imperial tombs that has never been looted. If it were to be opened, it would be the world's largest and most spectacular museum. Surrounding this grand mausoleum, many astonishing stories have unfolded over the past half century.
Chapter 2: Why Has Qianling Not Been Excavated for Half a Century For the past half century, the excavation of Qianling has been a hot topic, and it has grown even more so. There are national policies, and there are folk legends. When national policies and folk legends don't align, rumors spread, and thus arise very compelling articles.
Chapter 3: Right or Wrong? It is said that a great historical figure or a generation of... the national treasure of China, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, has emerged! Is it true or not? Is it believed or not believed?