Qin Shihuang's "ancestral home" is Lixian County, Gansu Province. ..
According to Xinhua News Agency, Lanzhou, September 2 nd, experts in cultural relics and archaeology in Gansu Province recently disclosed to reporters that after more than 8 years of excavation and research, the ancient tomb discovered in Dabaozishan, Lixian County, Gansu Province was unanimously recognized by experts as the first cemetery of Qin Shihuang's ancestors-Xiqiao Cemetery; Lixian County is also the location of Xigou Mountain, the birthplace of Qin people recorded in Historical Records, an important historical book in ancient China. At this point, the two eternal mysteries of archaeology and pre-Qin history have finally come to light.
Qin Shihuang was the first person to unify China and establish a feudal dynasty in the history of China. Therefore, the development history of Qin nationality and Qin culture has also become a hot issue for many scholars at home and abroad. 1974, after the discovery of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Shaanxi and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, it caused a strong sensation at home and abroad. Many historians and archaeologists pointed out that Qin people should have four cemetery areas by studying historical documents and archaeological discoveries, and tried to find their locations. By 1987, Shaanxi had discovered the No.2, No.3 and No.4 cemeteries among the four major cemeteries of Qin people, namely Yongcheng cemetery, Zhiyang cemetery and Shihuang cemetery. However, it has never been known where the first cemetery of Qin people-"Xiqiao Cemetery" is.
According to Records of the Historian Qin Benji, Qin's ancestors originally lived in "Xigou Mountain", and later they were made princes of Zhou Dynasty because of their meritorious service in herding horses, and the State of Qin was established. Therefore, "Xigou Mountain" is actually the birthplace and foundation of Qin nationality and Qin culture, and it is of great significance to understand the geographical location of "Xigou Mountain" for the study of Qin history.
During the period of 1993, due to looting by grave robbers, the ancient tomb on Dabaozi Mountain in Lixian County, Gansu Province was accidentally discovered, and some precious cultural relics were lost overseas. Gansu Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology immediately conducted an eight-month rescue excavation in Dabaozi Mountain. During the excavation, archaeologists found that the tomb of Dabaozishan is located west to east, and the tomb head is located east, which is exactly the same as Yongcheng Cemetery, Zhiyang Cemetery and Shihuang Cemetery. The Han tomb, which is more than 100 meters long, also shows that Qin people are good at building giant tombs. A large number of bronzes, gold wares and jade articles have also been unearthed from these tombs, and some bronzes are clearly engraved with inscriptions such as "Qin Gong Zhu Ding" and "Qin Metric Bao Gui". Geographically, the unique terrain of "two rivers and one mountain" in Dabaozi Mountain also fully conforms to the "Feng Shui" orientation of the royal cemetery in the pre-Qin period. Therefore, some historians and archaeologists have preliminarily determined that the Dabaozishan Tomb is the first cemetery of Qin people-Xiqiao Cemetery, which has been dusted off by history for more than 2,000 years.
1998, the joint burial tomb of Qin aristocratic couples was found on the dome about three kilometers southeast of Qin cemetery in Dabaozishan. Experts believe that this tomb not only provides strong evidence that the ancient tomb of Dabaozishan is a cemetery, but also shows that Lixian area is the location of Qin's "Xigou Mountain" because of its similar tomb type and geographical features.
Lixian County in the southeast of Gansu Province, which straddles the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, has always been an important area for early human activities and development in history. Because three of the four Qin tombs were discovered in Shaanxi, the first Qin cemetery was discovered in Lixian County, Gansu Province, which attracted the attention of many experts and scholars in academic circles.
Since 1994, many archaeologists have come to the conclusion that the ancient tomb of Dabaozishan is the graveyard of Qin Dynasty through analysis and textual research. According to Zhu, director of the Department of History and Archaeology of Gansu Provincial Museum, experts in archaeology and history unanimously confirmed that the ancient tomb of Dabaozishan is a Qin cemetery, and its owner may be Zhuang Gong, Xiang Gong or Wen Gong. Qin's first cemetery is located in Dabaozi Mountain in Li County, and Qin's "Xigou Mountain" is located in Li County. Lixian County, Gansu Province is the real birthplace of Qin nationality and Qin culture.