The Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, Henan, China

3Travelingmaven 5:00 PM Jun 25, 2013

A tomb for the Yellow Emperor's clothes
There's an old story that the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi, the ancestor of the Chinese people, was assumed into heaven on the back of a yellow dragon, leaving behind only his clothes.Those clothes are now buried at/in Huangling County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, China. To mark the spot, and to celebrate the Yellow Emperor, there's a large memorial hall, with courtyard that can hold 10,000 people, primarily on "tomb-sweeping" day. Yellow flags flap in the breeze, and steps lead to the main hall where a giant statue of the emperor sits. An opening in the ceiling serves as a sun dial. Much of the symbolism and import may be lost on Westerners. There are a LOT of stairs to climb; the scale, as with many modern and ancient monuments in China, is huge, requiring a lot of walking. You can take an electric bus to the 300 stairs up to the spot where the Emperor's clothes are entombed. The stairs lead to the top of a mountain where there is a grass-covered, stone-surrounded earthen tomb. The stairs lead through a pretty cypress-forested area. The Yellow Emperor is still a major folk hero, and his mausoleum/tomb is one of the most important sites for Chinese in China, but I'm unsure whether a visit is anything I would do again (as a Westerner), because, quite honestly, it is newly built.

4Pengilld 5:00 PM May 17, 2017

Worth a visit if you are nearby
This is a great site to visit on the way to /from the kukou waterfall and /or Yanan and well worth the slight detour. If you need to make a choice between this and the waterfall , choose this one. It costs 90rmb The first Major things to see are the massive old cypress pine trees. One is 5000 years old And was supposedly planted by the yellow emporer himself. Another is 3500 years old and was used to hang the generals ' armour up before they went to battle. The second is the mausoleum and the entry courtyard. It's been built recently, however, is size, arrangement and architecture is very impressive. The mausoleum itself echoes the design of the pantheon in Rome as well as the size and austerity of the buildings in Berlin (so unlike Chinese architecture). It is elegant in its minimalism, relying on its size and massive oracle in the ceiling to make one feel in the presence of something historical. A sole 6m stone Steele draws your attention with a representation of the emporer. On the back is a description. The courtyard is impressive and as big as any of those in Beijing's forbidden city. In my opinion, it is more impressive than those in the forbidden city because it is perched atop a hill and doesn't have any walls, so it is only bounded by the hills which are kilometres away. Being new and housing huge metal urns and yellow flags lining the perimeter, you feel like you are on one of the movie sets set in ancient times. One of the pavilions houses poetry from the emporer and Mao (of course, all government tourist sites have infused some link to the NPR, especially as the yellow Emporer is critically important to the modern Chinese search for "roots") . There is also a pavilion at which you can pay 5Rmb and burn incense to pray for the success of your future generations (giving thanks to the yellow emporer and the success he brought). However, be careful of the scam in which one of the guys says prays out loud for you as you bow and then demands 130rmb when you're finished. Just shoo him away. There is also broader grounds and a beautiful lake to enjoy. Well worth a few hours of you are in the neighborhood.