Chinese pyramids

The so-called pyramids of China are actually ancient mounds, most of which if not all were used for burial. Many of them are located within 100 kilometers of the city of Xi'an, on the Qin Chuan Plains in the Shaanxi Province, central China. Although known in the West for at least a century, their existence has been made controversial by sensationalist publicity and the problems of Chinese archaeology under some regimes.
Recognition in the West
The introduction of pyramids in China to popular attention has come in two stages. Most early stories were focused on the existence of "Great White Pyramid." US Air Force pilot James Gaussman is said to have seen a white jewel-topped pyramid during a flight between India and China during World War II, but there is no evidence for a source verifying this story and the US Air Force did not exist in 1945. It is now thought that the Gaussman story was actually based on Colonel Maurice Sheahan, Far Eastern director of Trans World Airlines, who told an eyewitness account of his encounter with a pyramid in the March 28, 1947 edition of The New York Times. A photo of Sheahan's pyramid appeared in The New York Sunday News on March 30, 1947. It is this photograph that later became attributed to James Gaussman. It is now known, thanks to efforts of Chris Maier, that the pyramid shown in the photo is the Maoling Mausoleum of emperor Wu of Han, just outside of Xi'an. Alternative writers such as Hartwig Hausdorf (who speculated it was built by aliens) and Phillip Coppens did much to bring them to public attention.

Despite claims to the contrary, the existence of these pyramid shaped tomb mounds was known by scientists in the West before the publicity caused by the story in 1947. Shortly after the New York Times story, Science News Letter (now Science News) published a short item saying "The Chinese pyramids of that region are built of mud and dirt and are more like mounds than the pyramids of Egypt, and the region is little travelled. American scientists who have been in the area suggest that the height of 1,000 feet, more than twice as high as any of the Egyptian pyramids, may have been exaggerated, because most of the Chinese mounds of that area are built relatively low. The location, reported 40 miles southwest of Sian, is in an area of great archaeological importance, but few of the pyramids have ever been explored." [1] Victor Segalen visited China in 1913 and wrote about the First Emperor's tomb (and other moud tombs in the region) in Mission Archeologique en Chine (1914): L'art funeraire a l'epoque des Han.[2]

Some of the pyramids of Xi'an are now tourist attractions and several pyramids have small museums attached to them.


The Development of Mound Tombs in China
There is a long history of building mounded tombs in China. dating back to at least the Shang-Zhou perod.[3]


Partial list of Chinese pyramids
Inner Mongolian pyramid, situated 1 kilometer north of Sijiazi (四家子) Town, Aohan County (敖漢旗), vestige of the Hongshan culture. The site of Niuheliang contains a pyramidal structure too.
Maoling (茂陵) Mausoleum contains the tombs of emperor Wudi (156-87 BCE) of the Han dynasty and some family members and proteges.
Yangling mausoleum contains the tomb of Wudi's father, Jingdi.
Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum
The eighteen mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty emperors(唐十八陵) in the valley of the Wei north of the Qinling Mountains. Some are among the biggest Chinese mausoleums, such as Qianling (乾陵), joint tomb of Emperor Gaozong and of the Empress Wu Zetian. It is a natural hill shaped by man.
Janggun-chong (Jiangjunzhong 將軍塚) Step Pyramid in Jilin, "Tomb of the General", is supposed to be the mausoleum of King Jangsu (Ko. 장수왕 Ch. 長壽王) (413~491) , king of Goguryeo. It belongs to the Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom on the World heritage list. Nearby is the Taewang-neung / Taiwangling (태왕릉, 太王陵) Pyramid believed to be the burial of king Gwanggaeto the Great (Ko. 광개토태왕; Ch. 廣開土太王) (391-413) ; while twice bigger than Janggun-chong, it is in bad shape and Janggun-chong is touted as the touristic highpoint of the site.
The Tangut tombs near Yinchuan in Ningxia in northwestern China, a large number of tombs referred to as 'Chinese Pyramids'.[4]

From http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramides_chinoises (translated)
Pyramids-tumuli Shaanxi, the most numerous. Many were found within a radius of about one hundred kilometers from Xi'an, ancient capital of China (with Luoyang in Henan). Almost seventy emperors had their principal residence, the royal and aristocratic tombs, typically in the form of burial mounds.

Pyramides-tumuli du Shandong Pyramids-tumuli ShandongTwo tumuli near Mount Dingzushan (鼎足山) would, according to tradition, the tombs of dukes and Jing Huan (景公) in the seventh and fifth centuries BC. J.-C., but archeologists contemporaries offer rather as occupants of the sovereign fourth century BC. Four other tumuli near Mount Nanshan (南山) and would be the mausoleums of the Dukes kings Wei (威王), Xuan (宣王), Min (闵王) and Xiang (襄王) the third century BC. J.-C.. AD. The tumuli are aligned according to orients to the north are other graves that are believed to be those of queens and ministers

Tumulus of Shaohao to the east of Qufu. Although the exact identity of the owner is uncertain, it is considered long as the tomb of the legendary king and has since the eleventh century temple worship where it is made.

Pyramids and tumuli attributed to the Hongshan culture (红山, 4700-2900 BC.)

Tumuli funeral and pyramid (unknown function) Niuheliang site (牛河粱) discovered in 1981 in the confines of Jianping County (Chaoyang, western Liaoning). Nearby, the remains of areas and buildings where worship were found effigies of women.Niuheliang is on the list of candidates for World Heritage.


Notes
^ The Science News-Letter, Vol. 51, No. 15. (Apr. 12, 1947), pp. 232-233.
^ Review in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 1, No. 3/4. (Nov., 1936), pp. 391-393.
^ http://www.gisdevelopment.net/aars/acrs/1992/ps1/ps006.asp LIU Shuren YU Guopei, A Remote – Sensing study on the distribution pattern of ancient. Platform – like ruins and earth-mounded graves of TH WU colture in southern Jiangsu, China and its relation. ship with palaegeographical evolution Proceedings of the Asian Conference on Remote Sensing, 1992
^ "The Tangut Royal Tombs near Yinchuan" Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt Muqarnas, Vol. 10, 1993 p. 370