A Chinese expert revealed that there are no plans to open the 1,300-year-old Qianling mausoleum, the tomb of Wu Zetian, the famed Tang dynasty empress.

Located 80 kilometers northwest of Xi'an, in Shaanxi Province, Qianling Mausoleum is the tomb of Wu Zetian, who wielded power for half a century, and that of her husband, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is the only tomb in China containing the remains of an emperor and an empress.

Wu Zetian became Empress Consort in 655 and soon rose to power as an eminence grise. Initially she ruled through a succession of puppet emperors but in 690 she full doffed herself with the title of Emperor -- the only woman in China ever to do so. She fell from power in 705 and was buried in the tomb 22 years after her husband.

Qianling Mausoleum, carved out of a mountainside, is estimated to contain as much as 500 tons of cultural treasures including jewels, calligraphy, paintings, silk and ceramics. The mausoleum has also never been robbed.

Qin Jianming, an administrator with Qianling Mausoleum Museum, contends: "Whether or not we have the capabilities to protect the relics there, it's better to leave the imperial mausoleum undisturbed."

Though a tentative archaeological investigation has been carried out, much work remains to be done, Qin said, adding that there are no detailed plans for protecting the relics should the imperial mausoleum be opened.

"Archaeological workers can guess the inner structure of the imperial mausoleum through the information obtained during the preliminary investigation, which was largely restricted to the surface area of the mausoleum," said Qin, who has been working at the museum for more than two decades.

However some venal individuals favor a large-scale excavation to bring the entombed relics to light, hoping to attract 5 million tourists annually and to local economic development a great boost.

Despite any economic windfalls, Qin stands firmly opposed to any such move.

"Opening the mausoleum in pursuit of hidden treasure will humiliate our ancestors and damage Chinese culture," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)