Tombs of the Zhou Kings of the Eastern Zhou in Luoyang
In 770 BC, King Ping of Zhou, under the protection of the vassal states of Zheng, Qin, and Jin, moved the capital to Luoyi (present-day Luoyang). In 256 BC, King Nan of Zhou died of illness, and the state of Qin invaded Luoyi. The Western Zhou Duke surrendered, and the Zhou dynasty fell. The period from 770 BC to 256 BC is historically known as the "Eastern Zhou," lasting 515 years. The Eastern Zhou comprised the "Spring and Autumn period," when various vassal lords vied for hegemony, and the "Warring States period," when the states fought among themselves. The Eastern Zhou represents one of the most brilliant chapters in Chinese history. A total of 25 Zhou kings ruled from Luoyang during the Eastern Zhou, and all were buried in Luoyang after their deaths. The Eastern Zhou imperial tombs are located in three areas: the Zhou Mountain Cemetery, the Wangcheng Cemetery, and the Jincun Cemetery.
The Zhou Mountain Cemetery is situated within Sunqitun Township, Luoyang. There are four large burial mounds in the Zhou Mountain Cemetery; the largest and most imposing on Zhou Mountain is the tomb of King Ling of Zhou. In front of the tomb stands a stele erected by Gong Songlin, the magistrate of Luoyang County during the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, inscribed with "Tomb of King Ling of Zhou." To the east of King Ling's tomb lie three closely grouped royal mounds, historically known as the "Three Kings' Tombs of Zhou," which are the tombs of Kings Jing, Dao, and Ding of Zhou. In 2002, archaeologists conducted surveys and investigations of the tombs on Zhou Mountain in conjunction with the construction of Zhou Mountain Forest Park. The results showed that the layout of the four tombs is in the shape of the Chinese character "甲" or "亞." The reason for building on Zhou Mountain may be that during the reign of King Ling of Zhou, a great flood inundated the Wangcheng Cemetery, forcing the selection of the higher ground of Zhou Mountain Cemetery.
The Wangcheng Cemetery is located near the current Tianzi Jialiu Museum in downtown Luoyang; unfortunately, many sites are now permanently buried beneath modern buildings. The Luoyang Zhou Wangcheng Tianzi Jialiu Museum is situated at the Eastern Zhou Wangcheng Square in the Xigong District of Luoyang City, Henan Province. In 2002, archaeologists unexpectedly discovered the remains of the Zhou king's tombs during excavations in Luoyang. They uncovered 397 tombs and 18 large chariot pits, and the "Son of Heaven's Six-Horse Chariot" (six horses drawing one chariot) appeared for the first time, ending a millennium-long debate over whether the ancient Son of Heaven drove six or four horses. Today, pines and cypresses have been widely planted on Zhou Mountain, and an upgrade project for the approximately 1,500-mu (about 247 acres) Zhou Mountain Forest Park has been completed, making it a place for citizens and tourists to relax, exercise, and sightsee. Wangcheng Square is the cemetery area for the Zhou kings before King Ling of Zhou.
The Jincun Cemetery is located near present-day Jincun Village, north of the Han-Wei Luoyang city site, and artifacts unearthed there are now housed in major museums around the world. The Jincun Cemetery lies in the area of Jincun and Zhaiquan, Pingle Town, Mengjin County, Luoyang. During the reign of King Jing of Zhou, Prince Chao occupied the Wangcheng and wielded great power, forcing King Jing to move his capital to Chengzhou (present-day Han-Wei ancient city). The Zhou kings who ruled after moving to Chengzhou were all buried near Chengzhou, i.e., the Jincun Cemetery. From King Yuan of Zhou, through Kings Zhending, Ai, Si, Kao, Weilie, An, Lie, Xian, to King Shenjing, a total of ten generations of Zhou kings were interred here. The discovery of the large Jincun royal tombs occurred during the Republic of China period. In June 1928, due to continuous heavy rain, the ground at the east end of Jincun Village suddenly collapsed, forming a huge round pit, and ancient objects such as chime bells were found in the soil. The villagers discovered eight Eastern Zhou royal tombs in the shape of the character "甲." The eight large tombs were arranged from north to south in two rows: six in the first row and two in the second. Among them, Tomb No. 5 had a pit about 12 meters long and wide, about 14 meters deep, with a passage over 70 meters long. The wooden outer coffin chamber was surrounded by stones and charcoal, with a door leading to the passage. The Jincun tombs quickly became famous worldwide. Subsequently, many exquisite bronze, gold, silver, lacquer, and jade artifacts were unearthed. These fine artifacts also attracted foreigners, who unscrupulously and unhindered set up sheds and stoves to loot and excavate. From 1928 to 1934, Huai Lüguang set up camp in Jincun, hired local villagers to excavate eight large tombs, and shipped out large quantities of unearthed artifacts to sell abroad. Now, most of these treasures have been lost overseas, scattered across the United States, Japan, France, and many other countries. Each of these artifacts is exquisite and uniquely shaped. At that time, over 8,000 national-level cultural relics were stolen. Currently, the only artifacts from Jincun, Luoyang, remaining in China are the Jincun Great Tripod, the gold-inlaid bronze ruler, and the Mingua Hu (a type of vessel). In 1982, the Institute of Archaeology discovered a large tomb in the shape of "甲" on the northeast side of the Han-Wei ancient city. The tomb passage was 60 meters long, the pit was 9 meters by 14 meters, and about 12 meters deep. More than 20 tombs and chariot pits of various sizes were also found around this large tomb, undoubtedly that of a king with nine ding vessels.
