The tomb of Crown Prince Zhang Huai is one of the 17 satellite tombs of Qianling Mausoleum.It lies three kilkometers southeast of Qianling Mausoleum.Crown Prince Zhang Huai was called Li Xiann snd was the second son of Emperor Gao Zong and Empress Wu Zetian.He was comparatively talented among Gao Zong's chirldren.Gao Zong was fond of him and made him the crown prince.Li Xian once summoned famous schoolars from all over the country to annotate "The Historical Records of the Later Han Dynasty. "The book referred to the historical fact that Lv Hou,wife of Emperor Gao Zu,founder of the Han Dynasty ,put many people from her familu in important positions,She pushed out many cortiers and usurped the supreme power of the country which was held by the Family after her husband's death.Wu Zetian thought that she was attacked by insinuation and compared to Lv Hou.She felt angry about this.So she tried every means to bring harm to Li Xiann.To protect himself,Li Xiann hid some weapons in the stable at the Eastern Palace where he lived.When Wu Zetian discoveres this ,she deprived him of the title of crown prince and made him a commoner.She exiled him to Bazhou,(present-day Bazhong County,in Sichuang Province)on the pretext that he has hidden weapons secretly and was plotting an armed rebellion.In 684A.D,Li Xiann died mysteriously in Bazhou.He was only 31 years old then.There are various saying as to the cause of his death.But most people believed that Wu Zetian that be would stage a comeback ,so she had him murdered.After Emperor Zhong Zong returned to the throne,he had Li Xiann's remains buried near Qianling.In 706A.D..following Wu Zetian's death ,Emperor Rui Zong posthumously awarded him the title of Crown Zhang Huai.
The excavation of the tomb of Crown Prince Zhang Huai was carried out from July 1971 to February 1972.The tomb consists of a long ,sloping tomb passage,four skylights,four passages,six niches,a brick corridor,an ante-chamber and a burial chamber.The tomb passage is 71 meters long,3.3meters wide and 7meters deep.Although the tomb was once robbed,over 600articles were unearthed.They include various ceramic figurines,tri-colored ceramic figurines,articles for daily use and other buried objects.The figures of civil officials and warriors are vivid and life-like.They are worth special attention.There are more than 50murals in the tomb,which occupy 400square meters,and remain basically intact.Of these paintings,"Courtiers and Foreign Envoys,""Hunting Procession,""Polo Game "and "Watching Birds and Catching Cicadas"are all true to life and skillfully drawn.These murals demonstrate the superb artistic skill of the Tang Dynasty.
