Tailing is the joint burial mausoleum of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty Li Longji and Empress Yang of Yuanxian. It was built on Jinsu Mountain fifteen kilometers northeast of Pucheng County, Weinan City. The mountain is 716 meters above sea level and has undulating mountains. Meandering. On the afternoon of December 20, 2018, under the leadership of Xiao Ma, I followed my tour guide friends in Xi’an to the Tang Tailing Mausoleum, climbed Jinsu Mountain, and saw the entrance to the underground palace here——
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The form of the Tailing Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty imitates Chang'an City of the Tang Dynasty, with a clear layout and grand momentum. After more than a thousand years of wind and rain, there are 41 groups of stone carvings on the ground, concentrated on both sides of the Shinto, including images of Huabiao, Tianma, ostrich, war horse, horse leader, Weng Zhong, lion and other images.
On August 6, 1956, the Shaanxi Provincial People's Committee announced "Xuanzong Tailing" as the first batch of provincial key cultural relics protection units; on June 20, 2001, Tailing and several other Tang Dynasty The Mausoleum of Emperor Dai was also announced as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the People's Republic of China.
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On November 25, 2007, my family and I came to Tailing for the first time. Although we were in a hurry, the memory was still fresh. Now, this is my fourth time to visit this place. I once again walked the magnificent Shinto of Tailing and saw the exquisite stone carvings. I was still very excited.
After the "Anshi Rebellion", the Tang Dynasty had lost its former glory. The Tailing Tomb of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty could not be compared with the early Tang Tombs, so the stone carvings on the Shinto also seemed to be eclipsed. These stone carvings have become smaller in size, and their surface carvings are relatively rough, lacking the splendor and momentum of the stone carvings in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.
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The pair of stone lions at the south gate of Tailing stand majestically at the northern end of the Shinto, facing north and south, standing east and west side by side. The image is exquisite and smart, with a leisurely and contented expression, still retaining some of the style of Tang Dynasty stone carvings. However, the stone lions in Tailing do not have the majesty of the Tang Dynasty, and their eyes look dull and mixed with sadness.
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Passing through the south gate of Tailing Mausoleum and entering the core area, a tall stone tablet appears in front of you, with the words "Tang Yuanzong Tailing Mausoleum" written on it. Written by Governor Bi Yuan. Why is Tang Xuanzong written as "Tang Yuanzong"? Emperor Kangxi's name was "Xuan Ye". He was Qianlong's grandfather. He had to avoid taboos at that time, so Bi Yuan wrote "Xuan" as "Yuan".
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Go around this stone monument, walk straight north along the wide dirt road, and gradually climb up Jinsu Mountain. The underground palace of Tang Tailing was built on the mountain. It is also called the "Xuan Palace" and has always been very mysterious.
In the past, I never had the chance to arrive. Will I be able to see it this time?
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Under the leadership of Xiao Ma, we walked to the end of the dirt road, and then followed a zigzag path, step by step, to the top of Jinsu Mountain. It's all stone, and the slopes next to it are steep. A few years ago, there were no roads here, so it was very difficult to find the entrance to the underground palace.
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When we reached the end of the zigzag path, halfway up the mountain facing the Shinto, there was a sunken land among the dry vegetation. Carefully observe the stone wall next to it. There are obvious traces of man-made excavation. The appearance is in the shape of a tomb passage. It must be the entrance to the underground palace!
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When the Tang Dynasty was about to fall, Wen Tao, the envoy of Huayuan Jiedu, excavated the Tang Dynasty imperial tombs in the territory and stole the gold, silver and jewelry in the tombs. It is said that the Tailing Mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty was also destroyed, the above-ground buildings were gone, and the underground palace was opened, even damaging the remains of Xuanzong. In the sixth year of Kaibao in the Northern Song Dynasty (973), Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin issued an edict to repair the Tailing Mausoleum, and Xuanzong's remains were reburied in a set of legal robes and ordinary clothes. Since then, the underground palace of Tang Tailing has never been opened again...