Located about 40 kilometers west of Xi’an, Maoling Mausoleum is the burial site of Emperor Wudi of Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 24 AD). Emperor Wudi is one of China’s greatest emperors and during his reign, he sent Zhang Qian as his special envoy to travel to the Western Regions on a diplomatic mission, which then led to the establishment of the famous trade route, Silk Road. The largest of all imperial tombs of the dynasty, Maoling is 46.5 meters high, 39.5 meters from east to west, 35.5 meters from north to south on the top and 240 meters long at the base of the tomb. According to the historical records, it took 53 years and cost one third of the taxes of that time to construct the mausoleum. Which is said to be almost full of invaluable burial objects. Close to Maoling, there are many subordinate tombs including that of Li Furen (imperial concubine of Emperor Wudi), Wei Qing and Huo Qubing (two famous generals of Emperor Wudi). About 1 kilometer from the musoleum is the Maoling Mausoleum Museum which hosts more than 4,100 cultural objects including 14 national-level historical relics.[China.org.cn/ by Yuan Fang]

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