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Tomb of Prince Yide, Xian Situated to the south east of the Qian Mausoleum, this tomb is the resting place of Prince Yide, named Li Chongrun; he was the eldest son of Zhong Zong and grandson of Emperor Gao Zong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. His grandmother sentenced him to death at the tender age of just 19 for opposing her autocracy. After Emperor Zhong Zong resumed his throne, the tomb of Prince Yide was moved here from Luoyang City in the 2nd year (706) of the Shenlong reign, and he was buried in the Qianling Mausoleum. Prince Yide was laid to rest in a grand mausoleum decorated with stone lions and other figures and although the columns are no longer whole, the edifice was a tribute to his importance. The tomb comprises a paved way, three arches and seven courtyards together with eight niches. There are two chambers, one behind the other; the whole being interlinked by corridors. The complex extends 256.6 meters (841.9 feet) in a north-south direction and is 214.5 meters (703.7 feet) in width and was richly endowed with a large number of fine artifacts. The graveyard is altogether 100 meters long. The corridor and the coffin chamber are built of bricks. A stone coffin is in the rear chamber, and is carved with refined woman images. The structure has a remarkable array of murals throughout, forty pieces in all that illustrate the day to day life at the Tang court. Symbols of the Prince, the Black Dragon and White Tiger are featured and the mural of the "parade of the Crown Prince" is of great historical interest as this 2.8 meter (9.10 feet) high picture shows the towers, city walls and other important buildings of the ancient capital city. You can see the guard of honor riding in chariots, on horseback as well as on foot as they prepare to march out from Chang'an in a colorful royal procession. Other murals illustrate hunts. Over a thousand items of ceramic figures, tri-color figurines and pottery as well as items of gold, copper and iron have been also found here. The picture of astronomical phenomena is painted in the roof of the rear chamber. The carved sketches on the stone outer coffin are fine and they give a good expression to the features of the Tang-style carved sketches, smooth, clear and powerful.
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