Ancient Tombs of Shizhaishan in Jinning District, Kunming
Chinese Name: 晋宁区石寨山古墓群
English Name: Ancient Tombs of Shizhaishan in Jinning District, Kunming
Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs, located in Shizhaicun Village, Shangsuantown, Jinning District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, are a group of tomb sites belonging to the ancient Dian Kingdom kings and their relatives from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty. From 1955 to 1996, the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs underwent five excavations, uncovering 86 ancient tombs dating from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty. Nearly 5,000 cultural relics were unearthed, including bronze, gold, silver, iron, jade, and agate artifacts. The bronze artifacts are well-crafted with exquisite patterns, reflecting strong local ethnic characteristics and showcasing the social development of the ancient Dian Kingdom.
The Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs served as burial grounds for the Dian kings and their clans, representing the center of Dian culture and symbolizing the cultural history of Yunnan and southwestern China from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty. It is also a representative site of Bronze Age culture in Southeast Asia and world civilization history. On June 25, 2001, the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs were designated as the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
Historical Evolution
The history of the ancient Dian Kingdom is sparsely documented in written records, mainly found in Sima Qian’s “Records of the Grand Historian – Treatise on the Southern Barbarians.” Therefore, the construction period of the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs is estimated to be from the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty. From 1955 to 1960, archaeologists from Yunnan Province conducted four excavations at the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs. The first excavation took place from March 3 to 23, 1955, as a trial excavation. The second excavation, which yielded significant results with over 4,000 cultural relics unearthed, occurred from November 1956 to January 1957. Subsequent excavations were carried out in 1958 and 1960. Additionally, a rescue excavation was conducted in 1996.
Burial Patterns
The burial structure at Shizhaishan is relatively simple, with graves dug between natural rocks or on flat ground. Large graves contain wooden coffins with burial objects, where human bones are placed inside, and accompanying burial items are found on top of the coffins or second-tier platforms and around the bones. Large tombs are generally 3-4 meters long and about 2 meters wide, while small tombs measure approximately 2 meters long and 1 meter wide, with depths ranging from 0.9 to 3 meters. There are no visible mounds on the surface. The coffins are rectangular in shape, coated inside and out with black, green, and vermilion lacquer, adorned with patterns. The burial posture is supine with straight limbs. In Tomb No. 9, the skeleton was found with the waist broken, separated into two piles, with the skull placed between the upper limbs. The clear and organized fractures of the upper and lower limbs suggest a sacrificial victim.
Cultural Relics
Overview
Excavations at the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs unearthed over 5,000 artifacts, including precious items like the “Seal of the Dian King” and the “Golden Knight Bronze Storage Vessel with Four Oxen,” all finely crafted with beautiful decorations that vividly depict the social history of the ancient Dian Kingdom. The bronze artifacts discovered at Shizhaishan are diverse and finely crafted, including weapons, tools for production, daily utensils, musical instruments, and decorative items. Weapons include daggers, spears, swords, axes, adzes, polearms, crossbows, arrowheads, helmets, armguards, and leg armor; production tools consist of hoes, spades, sickles, chisels, scrapers, fish hooks, needles, and awls; daily utensils range from pots, basins, kettles, and wine vessels to earrings, cases, boxes, pillows, mirrors, belt hooks, and umbrella covers; musical instruments include bronze drums, bells, and gourd flutes. Additionally, various ornaments found on bodies, utensils, and coffins are beautifully crafted and rare ancient artifacts.
Seal of the Dian King
The Seal of the Dian King is cast in pure gold, with a snake-shaped knob, the head raised, the body coiled, and scales on the back. The knob and the seal body were separately cast and then welded together. The characters are chiseled, with visible chisel marks on both sides, in seal script, with four characters in white reading “Seal of the Dian King.”
Golden Knight Bronze Storage Vessel with Four Oxen
The Golden Knight Bronze Storage Vessel with Four Oxen measures 50 cm in height and 25 cm in diameter. In the center of the vessel cover is a knight with a chignon hairstyle, wearing a long sword with exquisitely decorated scabbards, entirely gilded. The knight is seated on a steed, its head held high, mouth open and tail curled up. The four legs of the steed stand on a rectangular platform, beneath which is a pillar, emphasizing the knight’s status and contributing to the overall aesthetic composition. Four sturdy bulls are sculpted around the knight, their heads and tails interlocking. On either side of the vessel body are tiger-shaped ears, symmetrical and tightly gripping the waist of the artifact, appearing to climb upwards. One tiger’s tail curls upward, while the other curls downward. Both tigers are depicted with astonishing realism in terms of overall shape and detailed portrayal. The bottom of the vessel is in the shape of tiger claws with three legs.
Value of Cultural Relics
The Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs yielded a large number of bronze artifacts with distinctive local ethnic characteristics. The figurative sculptures on bronze ornaments and storage vessels provide important material evidence for identifying and understanding the ethnic composition of the Dian people, reflecting various aspects of social production, life, and external exchanges such as sacrificial rituals, warfare, hunting, planting, granary filling, and tribute offerings. These relics provide valuable physical evidence for understanding the culture of Shizhaishan and the history of the ancient Dian Kingdom.
Protection Measures
In 1965, the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs were designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit by the Yunnan Provincial People’s Government. On June 25, 2001, they were listed as the fifth batch of national key cultural relic protection units by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. On October 12, 2021, the National Cultural Heritage Administration announced the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs as one of the “14th Five-Year Plan” major sites. On December 29, 2022, the Shizhaishan Archaeological Site Park in Jinning was included in the fourth batch of national archaeological site park project lists by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.
Honors Received
In March 2001, the fifth excavation of Shizhaishan was selected as one of the “100 Great Archaeological Discoveries of 20th Century China” by Archaeology magazine. On October 18, 2021, the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs were announced as one of the “100 Great Archaeological Discoveries of the Century” by the Chinese Archaeological Society and the China Cultural Relics News.
Tourist Information
Geographical Information
The Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs are located in Shizhaicun Village, Shangsuantown, Jinning District, Kunming City, Yunnan Province.
Details of Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs
Approximately 240 meters southeast from the intersection of Huanhu South Road and Niuguang Line in Jinning District, Kunming City.
Driving Directions
Starting from the Jinning District People’s Government, travel via Yongle Street and Huanhu South Road to reach the Shizhaishan Ancient Tombs.
