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- satellite tombs with earthen mounds for the members of the emperor�s family and court officials. Zhao Ling, the tomb of the second Tang emperor, has at least 167 satellite tombs nearby, which are still largely unexcavated.
During the Song dynasty (960-1279), the emperors and nobility continued to erect mounds of pounded earth over their tomb chambers. Remains of earthen ramparts at the Northern Song imperial tombs in Gongxian, Henan, indicate the magnitude of their tomb complex. These tombs deviated from the other imperial tombs in that the construction of the tomb started only after the death of the emperor, and according to their regulations, had to be completed within a seven month period. The Song imperial tombs were similarto previous imperial tombs, inthat mausoleum towns were set up nearby to provide personnel to guard and maintain the tomb complex. This custom dates back at least to the second century b.c. Contempor�aneous nomadic dynasties in the north, like the Liao, Xi Xia and Jin, also adopted the Chinese burial traditions, and some remains of their weathered tumulii can still be seen (fig. iii). The Mongols of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) secretly buried the members of their royal family, so neither earthen tomb mounds nor architecture were used to mark their tomb sites.
During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, large brick- walled earthen tumulii were erected over the underground tomb chambers of the emperors and empresses (figs, iv, v). The architecture in front of these tombs have still survived to this day. The architecture, consisting of walled enclosures, tiled roofs, marble balustrades and terraces, and stone bridges, layout on a central axis, with ceremonial halls at the front are all features which can be found at their palaces in Nanjing, Beijing and Shenyang. Some princes and officials of this period also had exterior architecture at their tombs, but on a much smaller scale, and very little of it has survived. Countless small earthen tumulii of Ming and Qing officials can still be found scattered throughout the Chinese countryside.
i Man-made earthen tumulus over subterranean tomb of Qin Shi Huang (d. 210 B.c.) Xian.
Forty-three metres high, circumference of over 1,400 metres.
ii Earthen tumulus of Han Wu Di (d. 87 B.C.). Xianyang, Shaanxi.
iii Earthen tumulii of the imperial ancestors of the Xi Xia (eleventh century) Yinchuan, Ningxia.
iv Soul Tower at tomb of Ming Emperor Yong Le (d. 1424) near Beijing.
v Tomb complex of Emperor Qian Long (d. 1799) near Beijing.
II Apparence exterieure des tombes
Les premieres sepultures de la Chine antique sont souterraines; le tertre funeraire ou tumulus ne semble, en effet, faire son apparition que plus tard. Sous les Shang (XVIe-Xle siede av. J.-c.), on creuse des tombes profondes pour les gouvernants et les nobles, tombes dans lesquelles on place de magnifiques tresors, tels que recipients en bronze et objets en jade, de meme que des animaux et des humains offerts en sacrifice. Si aucun tumulus ne marque (�emplacement de ces tombes, il semble que les sepultures royales Shang ou leurs abords aient ete surmontes d�un temple. Apres avoir renverse les Shang, les Zhou (Xle-llle siecle av. j.-c.) perpetuent d�abord les rites et coutumes funeraires de ces derniers; vers la fin de l�epoque des Zhou, cependant, des tertres de terre battue commencent � apparaitre au-dessus des tombes. A cause de ces tertres, les tombes seront des proies faciles pour les pillards, qui sauront ainsi exactement ou creuser. La plupart des tombes de la Chine antique seront d�ailleurs violees, parfois plusieurs fois, au cours des siecles.
Le tumulus de terre le plus remarquable domine la sepulture souterraine du Premier Auguste Empereur, Qin Shi Huang (mort en 210 av. J.-c.).Situe pres de Xi�an
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