Xixia Imperial Tombs: Legacy of a mysterious dynasty

Dubbed one of "China's Top 100 Archaeological Findings in the 20th Century," the Xixia Imperial Tombs in northwestern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region empower modern people to gain a glimpse of the history of the Xixia Dynasty (1038-1227) and the formation of a unified multi-ethnic country.

Dusty Ruins

The discovery of this sprawling tomb complex occurred by pure chance. In the 1930s, German pilot Wulf-Diether Graf zu Castell-Rüdenhausen soared over the Helan Mountains and snapped an aerial photo of cone-shaped mounds dotting the mountainside. It is the first-ever photographic record of the Xixia Imperial Tombs. Then, during a local construction project in 1971, a shattered stele carved with cryptic characters was dug up. Archaeologist Zhong Kan realized that these inscriptions matched the Xixia script on the fragmented Buddhist scriptures unearthed from the One Hundred and Eight Stupas in Ningxia's Qingtongxia City in 1962. Cross-referencing this finding with local chronicles from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), experts formally confirmed the site as a royal funerary complex of the Xixia Dynasty.

In 1972, Ningxia organized a professional archaeological team to launch systematic excavations of the site. Working in the desert's unforgiving conditions marked by constant sandstorms, searing summer heat, and frigid winters, archaeologists huddled in rudimentary tents and relied on tape measures and handwritten records to painstakingly map out nine imperial tombs with clear designations. For years, however, the identities of their occupants remained a mystery.

That changed in 1974, when Li Fanwen, an expert in linguistics and Xixia studies, embarked on the years-long endeavor of cleaning, cataloging, and cross-referencing 3,270 stele fragments from Mausoleum No. 7. By 1978, he had finally pieced together a key section of the stele, confirming that this mausoleum was Shouling Tomb, the final resting place of Emperor Renzong of Xixia. To this day, it is still the only of the Xixia Imperial Tombs with an identified occupant, serving as a critical anchor for all subsequent research into this enigmatic dynasty.

Imprint of Cultural Integration

For over half a century, archaeological work on the Xixia Imperial Tombs has been advanced in big strides: Between 1972 and 1975, excavations of the underground palace at Mausoleum No. 6 revealed the tomb's intricate structural design. From 2000 to 2001, painstaking clearing of surface remains at Mausoleum No. 3 uncovered the site's unique construction techniques. In 2024, investigations and excavations of floodwalls shed light on the diverse range of water management systems employed by the Xixia Dynasty.

The architectural style of the Xixia Imperial Tombs was informed by the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties but features innovations. Site selection adhered to the geomantic traditions of the Central Plains region: leaning against mountains and facing rivers. With an inverted convex layout, the imperial tombs feature a symmetrical axis with an added semicircular barbican and a shortened spirit path that reflect Tangut funerary customs.

Unearthed relics vividly testify to cultural integration. For instance, the statue of kalavinka, a divine bird in Buddhist legends, reflects Xixia reverence for Buddhism. A green-glazed roof ornament integrates elements of both the Central Plains and Xixia. Balustrade columns carved with dragons, a common feature across the tombs, reflect the millennia-old dragon culture from the Central Plains. Nearly 4,000 fragmented steles with bilingual inscriptions provide ironclad evidence of ethnic fusion, while porcelain shards from Yaozhou and Jingdezhen kilns and hoards of ancient coins attest to the close commercial ties between the Xixia and Song dynasties. Red sandstone pedestals carved with muscular guardians fuse the styles of multiple ethnic groups, and clay figurines bear clear Uighur cultural hallmarks.

Findings in the Xixia Imperial Tombs have not only verified the authenticity of historical records on the Xixia Dynasty, but also remain as a silent witness to the millennia-long process of ethnic exchange and fusion in China. Yet, many mysteries still linger: Who is buried in each of the remaining eight imperial tombs? What purpose did the northern architectural ruins serve? What other artifacts might still lie hidden in the tombs? Only future archaeological endeavors may reveal answers to these questions.