[2024 Wuwei Attraction] Travel Guide for Leitai Park - Han Tomb (Updated Nov)
Cemeteries
Address:
武威市涼州區北關中路192號
Opening times:
Open tomorrow at 09:00-17:30Closed Today
Phone:
0935-2215852
Wuwei, Gansu: A hidden gem of a city.
Wuwei 🏯 is a city where history and modernity intertwine, and every corner exudes a unique charm.
✅ Must-try experiences:
✨ Immerse yourself in history and culture by visiting Leitai Han Tomb to see the majestic "Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow." Listen to ancient scriptures being recited at Haizang Temple and Kumarajiva Temple, and feel the weight of history. The simplicity of the Confucian Temple and the grandeur of Tiantishan Grottoes make for an unmissable historical journey.
✨ In Wuwei's natural environment, Binggou River Forest 🌳 Park and Tianzhu Binggou River Ecological and Cultural Tourism Scenic Area are havens for your soul 🛝. Stand among them, breathe in the fresh air, and feel at one with nature.
🍽 Food recommendations:
✨ As for food 🥯, Wuwei is a must-visit destination. At Beiguan Market, you can taste authentic "Three Carriages," a unique flavor of Wuwei. On Liangzhou Old Street, a variety of local snacks will make your mouth water.
🌟 Highlights:
✨ Folk experiences are also a highlight of Wuwei. At Wushaoling International Ski Resort 🎿, feel the passion and joy brought by snow and ice. At Minqin Ruian Fort, delve into local folk culture and history for unforgettable memories.
✨ If you're interested in history and culture, museums at Leitai and the Confucian Temple are worth a visit. Here, you can learn about the origins of Chinese printing, the splendor of Western Xia culture, and the charm of Liangzhou poetry.
❤ Recommended reasons:
✨ In Wuwei, history, culture, natural scenery, food, and folk customs will provide you with an unforgettable experience. We hope you feel the unique charm of this city during your journey in Wuwei.
Phoenix~Bell
Gansu Province, Wuwei City | Leitai Han Tombs | A shining pearl in the depths of time.
🍀 Leitai Han Tombs are located in the north section of Zhongguan Road, Liangzhou District, Wuwei City, Gansu Province. It is a world-renowned treasure and the birthplace of "Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow," the symbol of Chinese tourism.
🍀 Historical evolution: Leitai was built by Zhang Mao, King of Former Liang, as Lingjun Terrace. In the fourth year of Taixing in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, another Leitai was built here to worship the god of thunder. On the terrace, there are 10 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties, including the Temple of Lei Zu and the Temple of Sanxing Doumu. The buildings are magnificent and grand. The surrounding area is filled with ancient trees and shimmering lakes.
🍀 Main attractions:
❇️ Main Hall and Side Hall: The main hall is mainly used to house the spirit tablet of the deceased, and it is the place where the soul of the deceased normally lives. The attendants serve the spirit tablet as if it were a living person. The side hall is an auxiliary building of the main hall, mainly used to worship the spirit of the deceased when it comes here to play.
❇️ Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow: The bronze galloping horse is also known as "Ma Chao Longque." It is green-bronze in color, 34.5 cm high, 45 cm long, and weighs 7.15 kg. The horse is depicted in a galloping posture, with three legs in the air, head held high, and tail raised. Under its right hind leg, it tramples on a "wind god bird" dragon sparrow, which is spreading its wings and flying back, looking back in surprise. This design breaks away from the traditional image of the heavenly horse, while still conforming to the principles of mechanical balance. It contains rich cultural connotations of the heavenly horse, and its casting technique is exquisite. It is a masterpiece of bronze art.
❇️ Han Dynasty Ancient Well: The ancient well is located in the southeast corner of Leitai, 2 meters from the entrance of the tomb passage. It runs through the entire rammed earth layer and is adjacent to the tomb passage, extending all the way into the ancient tomb. The well is 12.8 meters deep and is built with typical Han Dynasty thin bricks. The bottom is laid in a "human character" shape, which is rare in Chinese archaeology. According to research, this ancient well gradually dried up in the mid-1990s.
❇️ Leitai Lake: Leitai Lake, located next to Leitai, has naturally revived after being dry for over 20 years. The spring water gurgles, the waves shimmer, and the stream flows gently. The surrounding area is covered with green grass, and willows and poplars sway in the breeze. The creation of heaven and earth, combined with the hard work of the people of Wuwei, has made Leitai, the birthplace of the bronze galloping horse, a place where old and new appearances coexist, attracting a large number of Chinese and foreign scholars and tourists.
🚗 Parking lot: There is a large parking lot next to the scenic spot. I forgot whether it was charged, but it definitely wasn't expensive.
🎫 Tickets: Available at the ticket window or online. Adult ticket: RMB 45/person
GlobetrottingSoul_11
China Tourism Logo - Flying Horse of Gansu.
Leitai Han Tomb, located at No. 272, Beiguan Middle Road, Liangzhou District, Wuwei City, Gansu Province, was built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and is famous for the national treasure-level cultural relic Flying Horse of Gansu. In October 1983, the "Flying Horse of Gansu" was designated as the China Tourism Logo by the National Tourism Administration; in 1985, Wuwei City designated the "Flying Horse of Gansu" as the city emblem symbolizing Wuwei's soaring; in 1986, it was designated as a national treasure-level cultural relic.
Olivia Foster 890.
Explore the unearthed sites of China's tourism symbols
"Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow", also known as "Horse that Outruns the Swallow" or "Horse Surpassing the Sparrowhawk", is a bronze statue that vividly captures the essence of a heavenly steed soaring through the skies. It is a fine cultural relic unearthed in the late 1960s from the Leitai Han Dynasty tombs in Wuwei City, Gansu Province. It was discovered by local farmers while digging air-raid shelters beside Leitai during the "deep digging" era of 1969 and was later identified by experts as a brick and stone tomb from the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In 1983, the Galloping Horse was designated as the symbol of China's tourism; in 1996, it was appraised as a national treasure by a panel of experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage; and in 2002, it was included in the first batch of precious cultural relics banned from being exhibited abroad by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
There are currently three unsolved mysteries regarding the Leitai Han tombs. The first is that despite the tomb's grand chamber architecture and numerous precious burial objects, only the surname Zhang is known for the tomb owner, with the owner's identity remaining a mystery. The second is the appearance of the character "喜喜" (double happiness) on the south wall of the tomb chamber, composed of black and white bricks. This character, supposedly created by Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty in a drunken state, raises the question of whether its presence in this tomb chamber is a mere coincidence or if the character already existed at the time. The third mystery is that experts have tested the bricks from the tomb chamber and well for pressure resistance and corrosion resistance, finding that they can withstand a pressure of 366 to 374 kilograms per square centimeter, whereas modern bricks can only withstand 150 to 200 kilograms per square centimeter. The method of preparing and firing these bricks has not yet been clarified by the experts.
Leitai Park - Han Tombs
JAYSON KNIGHT
Affordable! Niche! Perfect for sharing with friends! Gansu·Wuwei City·Leitai Han Tombs
Gansu·Wuwei City·Leitai Han Tombs
Both the park and the museum are free of charge.
You need to bring your ID card to get a visiting ticket.
If you want to enter the tomb inside the Leitai Han Tombs, you need to buy a ticket.
Han Tomb 45/person (half price for students and the elderly).
Once inside, there are two tombs.
The interior is not big, just the main chamber of the tomb.
Only Tomb No.1 contains some cultural relics.
Tomb No.2 is completely empty.
If you are not particularly interested, there is no need to go inside.
The location is right inside Wuwei City.
It takes about 1-2 hours to tour around.
It's also worth a visit if you're transferring through Wuwei or as a stop along the Hexi Corridor.
The bronze chariot, horses, and guard figurines, from the Han Dynasty, unearthed from Wuwei City Leitai Han Tombs. A total of 99 pieces, consisting of 39 bronze horses, 1 bronze ox, 1 ceremonial chariot, 4 carriages, 3 covered carriages, 2 small carts, 3 large carts, 1 ox cart, 17 warrior figurines with spears and halberds, and 28 servant figurines. The main chariot is 36 centimeters long, the horses are 40 centimeters tall, and the servant figurines range from 19.5 to 24 centimeters in height. This bronze chariot and horse procession is the largest number of Eastern Han chariot and guard figurines found to date, grand in scale, exquisitely crafted, and demonstrates the outstanding achievements of Han Dynasty group bronze sculpture.
Leitai is a large rectangular man-made earthen platform, about 8.5 meters high, 106 meters long from south to north, and 60 meters wide from east to west. It is named Leitai because the Leizu Hall was built on the platform, and it is famous for the Leitai Han Tombs unearthed below, which include the 'Flying Horse of Gansu,' a symbol of Chinese tourism. The Leitai Temple faces south with its back to the north and consists of buildings such as the mountain gate, Erping gate, Fengbo Yushi Hall, Leizu Hall, east and west side halls, Sanxing Doumu Hall, Donghua Pavilion, and Xihua Pavilion. It is an important Taoist holy site along the Hexi Corridor.
According to the existing records of the 'Leitai Temple Stele' from the third year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty: 'The establishment of Leitai Temple dates back to ancient times, and its origins are untraceable. However, it is recorded that during the Tianshun era of the Ming Dynasty, hail damaged the crops, and an imperial decree was issued for its reconstruction.' It can be seen that Leitai Temple was rebuilt during the Tianshun era of the Ming Dynasty. During the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, it was destroyed by fire, and in the early years of Kangxi, the Douge Pavilion was established, and the Doumu Association was founded. In 1927, it was destroyed by a major earthquake, and it was rebuilt in 1933, but it still retained the architectural style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. After the founding of New China, Leitai Temple has been repaired multiple times. In 1981, a large-scale maintenance of the buildings on the platform was carried out, in 1986, the mountain gate, Erping gate, and surrounding walls were rebuilt, and in 2001, projects such as reinforcing the outer perimeter of the Leitai platform and the palace walls, waterproofing and drainage treatment for the Leitai platform surface, and ancient building repairs were completed. Currently, the entire building is well-preserved, structurally stable, and was declared a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 1993.
Leitai, Leitai Temple, and Leitai Han Tombs, although relics of different historical periods, form an indivisible whole. This provides important physical materials for the study of Leitai Han Tombs, ancient rammed earth construction, and the history, religion, and folklore of Wuwei during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with high historical, artistic, and scientific value. After years of protection and maintenance, the current Leitai Temple is majestic, grand in scale, with thriving incense offerings, surrounded by ancient trees reaching to the sky, and rippling lake waters, making it a famous tourist and sightseeing destination along the Silk Road.
The Leitai Han Tombs were excavated in 1969, with the tomb entrance facing east, oriented in an exact east-west direction, with a total length of about 40 meters, and the tomb chamber covering an area of about 60 square meters. The sloping earthen passage walls on both sides of the tomb are adorned with floral patterns painted in vermilion, with a simple and bold brushwork. The brick-built part includes the tomb entrance, passage, front chamber with left and right side chambers, middle chamber with right side chamber, and rear chamber. From the scale of the tomb's construction and the 231 burial objects associated with the 'Heavenly King,' it reflects the prominent social status of the tomb owner. The Leitai Han Tombs are the largest Eastern Han tombs discovered in the Hexi region to date.