Zhaoling: The mausoleum of Emperor Tang Taizong

Zhaoling is one of the very few imperial mausolea that has received considerable attention in its 1,400-year history. This attention has largely been confined to general description and limited individual subjects. This dissertation launches an effort to comprehensively investigate Zhaoling in the context of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural background of the early Tang, and by comparison with ancient Iran, the steppes and China. It examines Zhaoling's general layout, its architectural features, stone monuments and auxiliary burial complex. It also conducts a detailed study of the six stone horse reliefs. The study reveals that Zhaoling followed Chinese traditional concepts and replicated the capital city of Chang'an and its palatial scheme. The ratio of auxiliary tomb occupants indicates that Zhaoling was built not as a royal graveyard, but rather a complex for holding a political entity. Auxiliary tombs were used as tools to extract loyalty from high officials, Chinese and non-Chinese, to form Taizong's "political family" for his political concept of tianxia weigong (empire is open to all). The erection of stone monuments of the six horses and fourteen officials, traced to Turkic custom, manifests another fulfillment of Taizong's political concept. The duality of Taizong's titles---the Chinese emperor and Heavenly Qaghan for western tribal states---brought integration into the design of Zhaoling, a blend of Chinese imperial mausoleum traditions with Turkic burial customs. An element-by-element study of the stone horse reliefs demonstrates that the development of an effective Chinese cavalry, initiated in northern China in 307 BC, necessitated a systematic importation of equestrian elements from the nomads on the Chinese border. The horse's mane, tail, saddle, armor, bow and arrows, which show strong nomadic influences, can all be traced to ancient West Asian sources. The sculptural form of the six horse reliefs could also be inspired by Sasanian rock relief. The seeds receptive to interaction and assimilation of foreign elements were sown during the early dynastic period from pre-Qin into Sui. Emperor Taizong continued this course, expanded his political concept and made the early Tang a dualistic empire of international spirit.