Wu Zetian was in power for several decades, because Emperor Wu Zhou was in charge of a dynasty and changed the Tang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty. Before Wu Zetian died of illness, she was able to restore the dynasty to Li and restore the Tang Dynasty. Finally, Wu Zetian was buried with Tang Gaozong as the queen of Tang Gaozong.

Partial view of dry mausoleum

The tomb of Wu Zetian is called dry mausoleum, which is located in Liangshan, Xianyang City. The dry mausoleum is located in a group of tombs of the Tang Dynasty, in which not only Wu Zetian is buried, but also Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and other members of the royal family. There are as many as 17 buried tombs, of which dry mausoleum is the most intact one among the 18 tombs.

Ganling was built in 684 AD, and it took more than 21 years to basically complete. This mausoleum has a magnificent momentum. Among them, this mausoleum area was built in imitation of the urban area of Chang 'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty at that time. Since the Tang Dynasty, the mausoleum was built by mountains. Therefore, Ganling was built by mountains. There are three peaks in Liang Shanben, and Ganling was built on the highest peak, which shows its high status and dignity.

This mausoleum was originally built for Tang Gaozong, and it was buried with one emperor and one queen. After Tang Gaozong's death, Wu Zetian abolished the emperors' positions of her two sons, took control of the state affairs, and changed the Tang Dynasty into the Zhou Dynasty, and became the Emperor of Wu Zhou. Later, due to the Dragon Coup, Wu Zetian was forced to give up the throne and return to the dynasty. In order to have a place to live after her death, Wu Zetian abolished her title of emperor, so that her son Tang Zhongzong Li Xian could be buried in Ganling as the queen of Tang Gaozong, so Wu Zetian's tomb was attached to Tang Gaozong's tomb.

Ganling in Shaanxi is known as the "Three Gorges Project" in archaeology. Under the main peak of Liangshan, which is located in the northwest of Xi 'an, Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian of Zhou Dynasty are buried. A couple, emperors of two dynasties, were buried together in one room, which is extremely rare all over the world.

Ganling, located in Xi 'an, buried emperors Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian. According to legend, Wu Zetian was dressed in 121 sets of clothes, with jade in her mouth, lying on her back, and a large number of books, calligraphy and paintings, including the Hanging Arch Collection written by Wu Zetian and the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion written by Wang Xizhi, were placed in the coffin, including one third of the wealth in the state treasury at that time.

what are the funerary objects in Wu Zetian's tomb? What's the secret of Wu Zetian's tomb

Shaanxi archaeologists have made great progress in the archaeological work of Tang Ganling a few days ago, and the layout of Xiagong site has gradually revealed its true meaning. Experts say that whether the Preface to Lanting is in Ganling can not be confirmed.

Tang Gan Mausoleum is the cemetery where Li Zhi of Tang Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian of Zhou Dynasty were buried together. It is the only tomb where two emperors were buried together in China. It is the concentrated representative of the historical relics of the prosperous Tang Dynasty in China, and it is also the only imperial tomb of the Tang Dynasty in China that has not been stolen at present. It is known as the "crown of Tang Mausoleum".

Archaeologists from Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology found that the east, north and west gates of Ganling Cemetery have the same structure, all of which are composed of a pair of three exits, a pair of columns and halberds corridors and a hall-like gate. Quetai is a rammed earth platform, surrounded by bricks, and a large number of tiles accumulated around it indicate that Quetai was originally built with Quelou. Palace-style gates have rammed earth abutments, surrounded by bricks, and both sides are connected with the cemetery walls.

In addition, archaeologists also cleaned up the site of the North Gate, and unearthed a number of stone carvings, such as residual stone horses, Shi Hu, stone lions, stone seats, etc. Among them, the discovery of Shi Hu provided new information for re-understanding the stone carving combination outside the North Gate of the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum.

This is the first time that the layout of Xiagong site has been basically clarified. The Xiagong Palace in Ganling evolved from the bedroom in front of the mausoleum. It was called the bedroom when Emperor Taizong Li Shimin buried Zhaoling. Later, it was moved to the foot of the mountain because of the fire. Later generations called it Xiagong.

The investigation shows that the Xiagong site in Ganling is huge, and there are double rammed walls inside and outside, and the outer wall is square in plane, with four sides about 381 meters long. At the same time, between the inner city and the inner city, many rammed earth remains of buildings were found, which provided first-hand material for understanding the cemetery system of the mausoleum of the Tang Dynasty.

Shi Xingbang, honorary director of Shaanxi Institute of Archaeology, said that at least 71% of the burial objects in the tomb can be inferred now, and the underground palace of Ganling should be filled with the most valuable treasures of the Tang Dynasty. When Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian were alive, they were in the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty. When Tang Gaozong was buried, the value of funerary objects accounted for 1/3 of the national finance. More than 21 years later, Wu Zetian died, and 1/3 of the country's gold and silver jewelry was brought into Ganling. The huge cost and the abundance of burial can be imagined. Besides, it is also clearly recorded in the history books that when Tang Gaozong died, he specially left a last note to bury all his favorite calligraphy and painting. Many experts also speculate that the top national treasure-Preface to the Lanting Pavilion written by Wang Xizhi, a book sage, is probably hidden in the tomb of Wu Zetian in Gan

Literature records show that the Fuling Cemetery is 81 miles around, with two original city walls and four gates in the inner city, namely Qinglong Gate in the east, Zhuquemen in the south, Baihumen in the west and Xuanwu Gate in the north. According to the investigation by archaeologists, the inner city of the cemetery is square, with its north and south walls of 1,451 meters long, the east wall of 1,582 meters long and the west wall of 1,438 meters long, with a total area of about 2.3 million square meters. There are many splendid buildings in the city, such as offering halls, wing rooms, cloisters, Quelou, Di Renjie and other 61 courtiers, such as ancestral temples and Xiagong. As for the treasure inside, after years of exploration and investigation, a cultural relic worker estimated that it was at least 511 tons! On both sides of the front and rear passages, there are four caves, which are filled with the most valuable treasures in the Tang Dynasty. On both sides of the nearly 111-meter corridor leading to the King Kong Wall, there are all kinds of gold and silver sacrificial vessels.

According to historical records, the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion said in Li Shimin's testamentary edict that it should be placed under his head. That is to say, this treasure should be in Zhaoling, not Ganling. However, Wen Tao, the secretariat of Yaozhou in the Five Dynasties, stole Zhaoling, but there is no Preface to Lanting in his list of unearthed treasures, so nine times out of ten, the Preface to Lanting is hidden in Ganling. Among the folk rumors around Ganling, there has long been a saying that the preface to Lanting was buried with Wu Zetian.

Throughout the ages, many villains have racked their brains and tried their best to find the entrance to the tomb of Ganling Underground Palace.

where did Wu Zetian become a monk?

1. Wu Zetian became a monk in Ganye Temple.

2. Introduction of Ganye Temple: Ganye Temple is located 31 meters southwest of Housuo Village, Liucunbao Township, weiyang district, Xi 'an, Shaanxi Province, on the north side of Fengshou Road. Now Ganye Temple Primary School is built in the temple. Qing Jiaqing's Chronicle of Chang 'an County says: "Ganye Temple is a royal temple in the Forbidden Garden of the Tang Dynasty. When Tang Gaozong was in China, Wu Zetian worked here for several years and was famous for it." According to Zi Zhi Tong Jian, on May 26th, the 23rd year of Zhenguan (AD 649), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin died and ordered Wu Cairen to become a monk in Ganye Temple. "In March of the 2nd year of Yonghui in Tang Gaozong (AD 651), he returned to the palace in a letter". Wu Zetian spent two years in Ganye Temple, living in a bhikshuni life with morning bells and drums, ancient Buddha with blue lanterns, being far away from the world and practicing Buddhism. There is a stone fence and Wu Zetian's pumping well in Ganye Temple. "A Textual Research on the Continuation of Records and Ancestral Sacrifice in Chang 'an County, Xianning" contains: "The Temple of Senshi was completely destroyed after the Tongzhi War, and only one monument was left in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. The villagers earned a book from digging the ground: the six small characters of the incense burning courtyard after the Tang Dynasty and the six big characters of the Tang Dynasty Sensory Temple, which are all preserved today." ~