Spirit Way Qianling Mausoleum

a stone carved guardian statue along spirit way



stone statues of foreign ambassadors, headless



a sancai ceramic horse figurine tomb of li chongrun, on display in shaanxi history museum

leading mausoleum spirit way, flanked on both sides stone statues later tombs of song dynasty , ming dynasty tombs. qianling statues include horses, winged horses, horses grooms, lions, ostriches, officials, , foreign envoys. khan of western turks presented ostrich tang court in 620 , tushara kingdom sent in 650; in carved reliefs of qianling dated c. 683, traditional chinese phoenixes modelled on body of ostriches. historian tonia eckfeld states artistic emphasis on exotic foreign tribute of ostrich @ mausoleum sign of greatness of china , chinese emperor, not of foreigners sent them, or of places came . eckfeld asserts 61 statues of foreign diplomats sculpted in 680s represents far-reaching power , international standing of tang dynasty. these statues, headless, represent actual foreign diplomats present @ emperor gaozong s funeral. historian angela howard notes along spirit ways of auxiliary tombs—such li xianhui s—the statues smaller, of lesser quality, , fewer in number main spirit way of qianling leading emperor gaozong , wu s burial. besides statues, there flanking sets of octagonal stone pillars meant ward off evil spirits. 6.3 m (20.7 ft) tall, tiered stele dedicated emperor gaozong located along path, written inscription commemorating achievements; flanked wu zetian s stele has no written inscriptions. additional stele main tumulus erected qianlong emperor (r. 1735–96) during mid-qing dynasty.