Tomb of Prince Yide

The Tomb of Prince Yide is the tomb of Li Chongrun, the eldest son of Li Xian, the Zhongzong Emperor of Tang, and Empress Wei, the grandson of Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Empress Wu Zetian. It is an earthen tomb close to Qianling Mausoleum, and is also the largest, highest-standard, and imperial-level tomb among the Tang Dynasty tombs excavated so far.Prince Yide Li Chongrun was “beaten to death” in Luoyang because he secretly discussed Wu Zetian’s private life in her later years with his sister Princess Yongtai and brother-in-law Wu Yanji. In 705 AD, Li Xian, the Zhongzong Emperor of Tang, ascended the throne and posthumously named him the crown prince, with the posthumous name “Yide”. In 706 AD, his coffin was moved from Luoyang to Shaanxi, “called the tomb as a mausoleum”, and buried with the Qianling Mausoleum with imperial rites. The tomb passage is 100.8 meters long and 3.9 meters wide. It consists of a tomb passage, six passages, seven patios, eight toilets, front and back corridors, and front and back tomb chambers. The most valuable things in the tomb are the murals. These murals are rich in content, colorful, and full of life. They fully demonstrate the momentum and environment of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, provide very important physical materials for studying the history and culture of the Tang Dynasty, and also show people the superb artistic attainments of Tang Dynasty painters and the highly developed painting level in China nearly 1,300 years ago.