Became Marquis of Haihun
It was soon confirmed that the tomb complex at Xinjian belonged to a famous historical figure of the Han Dynasty (~202 BC – 220 AD) – the Marquis of Haihun, Liu He. Hai Hon is an ancient district corresponding to the location of Tan Kien today.
Liu He (劉賀) (c. 92-52 BC), is one of the unique figures in the history of the Han Dynasty and ancient China. As the grandson of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han, the seventh and longest-reigning Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and his favored concubine Li Furen, Liu He inherited the title of King Changyi. He most likely inherited the title when he was only six years old. In ancient works, Liu He is often portrayed as an unruly and vulgar young prince (or King), with a knack for squandering his wealth and living a high-class life.
Liu Hac’s personal impression. (Siyuwj/ CC BY SA 4.0 )
After the death of his uncle, Emperor Zhao of Han, and the unclear succession, it was Liu He who succeeded to the throne, being the grandson of the previous emperor. Possibly placed as a puppet by the powerful politician and official Huo Gang, Liu He immediately took the throne and fled to the capital – Chang’an.
But Huo Cuong soon realized that he made a mistake in choosing young Liu Hac to ascend the throne. The new emperor was simply too vulgar and unruly – he ignored all requests for humility and moderation. Instead, he chose to skip the nation’s traditional funeral for the deceased Emperor, and continued on his wasteful path of drinking, partying, and enjoying women. He promoted whoever he pleased. All his actions quickly made him unpopular with Huo Gang and all the other important officials, who agreed to depose him from the throne.
After only 27 days in power, officials presented the necessary provisions for Liu He’s impeachment. The list includes a staggering 1127 examples of individual misconduct, including: attending parties and games during a period of mourning, refusing to abstain from sex, and eating meat during a period of mourning. mourning, not maintaining palace security, promoting his subordinates inappropriately, and prematurely.
The impeachment was passed, Emperor Liu He was stripped of his title and ordered to return to his previous province of Changyi. He was no longer King of that province; In fact, he no longer had a title, but he was still allowed to own a small portion of the 2,000 families that paid him taxes.
But then, 10 years after being deposed from his brief position as emperor, Liu He was once again promoted to title, ending his status as a commoner “in exile.” In 63 BC, he was created Marquis of Haihun, becoming the first of four generations of Marquis of Haihun.
Coat of arms of the Marquis of Haihun. (Photo: nocoev.com)
The spectacular mausoleum of Liu He
Liu He died in 59 BC at the age of 33, and was eventually succeeded by his eldest son Liu Dazong (劉代宗), the Second Marquis of Haihun.
And it was because of Liu Xia that this large and luxurious tomb was built. It also holds the remains of his son Liu Chongguo (劉充國) and his consort. From the sheer wealth of this tomb and the amount of wealth unearthed, it is clear that Liu He, despite being emperor for only 27 days, retained the majority of his wealth, even after his death. lost both the Changyi kingship and his title of Emperor. And after becoming marquis, he once again affirmed his wealth.
But these rich finds, and the groundbreaking discoveries in the tomb, also tell us that Liu He was not as ordinary as his contemporaries portrayed him to be. It is clear that Liu He was the most famous and wealthy local noble of the Han Dynasty, and he was constantly feared by the new Emperor Xuan.
The discovery of this tomb itself is of great importance to Chinese scientists and researchers as it provides important insight into ancient Chinese and Han Dynasty society, customs, and traditions. funerals and beliefs about the afterlife. The discoveries of the Qi Lun version of the Analects of Confucius, as well as paintings of that philosopher and many of his followers, confirmed the policy of the Western Han dynasty that they would “revere only Confucianism.”
Besides the discovery of Qi Luan, carefully written on 5000 bamboo sticks, many other wooden tablets and inscriptions were also discovered, providing a glimpse of this period. These bamboo strips, although worn down by time, humidity and mud, were found to clump and bunch together into a sticky mass, but were still meticulously sorted, graded and preserved. . With the help of infrared light, the inscriptions are made clear and quite legible. However, the process of recording all the inscriptions will take about five more years.
Wealth beyond limits
In Chinese history, the Han Dynasty is considered the golden age. And at that period, Liu Hac was the emperor with the shortest reign. History seems to have passed him by, but now there is no doubt that Liu He was more than just a jovial, vulgar and extravagant aristocrat with a knack for spending his wealth.
His wealth and influence were important, and were ultimately evidenced by the vast amount of property he had buried. And time has been kind to his tomb – it is one of the most exquisitely preserved ancient Chinese tombs and an archaeological site that is every enthusiastic archaeologist’s dream – it is filled with exquisitely preserved wonder.
The goose-shaped bronze lamp was excavated from the Marquis of Haihun’s tomb. (Siyuwj / CC BY SA 4.0 )
And finally, Liu He’s tomb draws an interesting parallel between East and West, showing us how far the ancient Chinese were ahead of their contemporaries. At a time when Julius Caesar was slowly rising to the top, the Chinese were experiencing a golden age, proud of the sheer splendor of their aristocratic life. And it shows us how diverse world history is and how unique China’s ancient dynasties are.
