The Hanyang Tomb and Museum is about 20 kilometers or 12 miles from Xian. The museum has an underground exhibition hall so that people can see the results of the archeological digs in the big mausoleum complex of Emperor Liu Qi (188 to 141 BC) of the Han Dynasty, his wife, officials, dynastic clan members, and commoners. There is also a graveyard for slaves who built the complex. The underground hall was opened in 2006. The archeological dig site only covers a small area, but the whole burial complex is immense. It covers a total area of about 10 square kilometers or 4 square miles. It is like a little city or a little kingdom complete with miniature statues of animals, servants and soldiers positioned in various places like a make-believe miniature kingdom. Along with the underground exhibition, there is an above ground regular museum building that houses exhibits, and visitors may also go out to see and even participate in the archeological digs if arrangements are made.

History

The Han Empire was the first big and long lasting empire in the area. He was known as an emperor who wanted a peaceful reign, and he did not want to burden the people with heavy taxes, wars, and much forced labor on construction projects in contrast to some earlier emperors. So the economy of the empire prospered. He put down a rebellion of seven provinces during his reign.

He started to construct his own mausoleum in 153 BC about three years after he became emperor, and it was basically completed in 125 BC after he was dead. The imaginary kingdom that he built and that people can now visit is now more than 2,000 years old