Through the vent hole, one can see that the gilded statue is hollow.īased on its slender body and muscles, some experts believe its prototype is Ferghana, which Emperor Wu called "heavenly horse." Ferghana were imported by the emperor from the country of Dayuan in central Asia. The life-like artifact also features an anus, which also serves as a vent hole. Its ears stand upright with the mane between them. Holding its tail up, the steed slightly opens its mouth with six teeth exposed.
It is the largest of its kind ever found in China. Weighing 25.55 kilograms, the horse statue is 62 centimeters tall and 76 centimeters long. Among the cultural relics, the most eye-catching is the gilded bronze horse. More than 200 artifacts, including bronze, iron, lacquer and lead wares, were unearthed from the pit, which was about 4 square meters. The gilded bronze horse unearthed from an ancient tomb dating back some 2,100 years is on display. The locals called it "sheephead mound" due to its shape. Surrounding the emperor's grave are more than 20 smaller tombs, which belong to former members of the emperor's court, including the military generals and politicians Huo Qubing (140-117 BC) and his uncle, Wei Qing (unknown-106 BC), and Lady Li as well, one of the emperor's favorite concubines.Īmong the tombs, the mound of No.1 nameless grave is the largest, measuring 95 by 64 by 22 meters.
It also took the longest to build – 53 years – and contains the most valuable funeral objects. Known as the "Chinese Pyramid," the mausoleum is the largest tomb built during the Han Dynasty. His record 54-year rule wasn't broken until the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) more than 1,800 years later. The location of Douma Village is special because it is near Maoling Mausoleum, which is the tomb of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).īorn Liu Che (156-37 BC), the emperor ruled from 141 to 87 BC and was the seventh emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25). Knowing the news, archeologists rushed to the site. In May, 1981, a gilded bronze horse was discovered in an ancient tomb in the Douma Village of Xianyang in Shaanxi Province, where hundreds of people were working on the construction of an infrastructure project. As an important part of Chinese civilization, the longstanding horse culture reflects the relationship between human beings and the animal, a symbol of leadership, faithfulness and vigor. China was one of the first countries to domesticate horses.