The Tomb of Huo Qubing is 1 km to the east of the Maoling Mausoleum in Shaanxi Province.
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The Tomb of Huo Qubing is the satellite tomb of the Maoling Mausoleum of Emperor Wudi in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-8AD). Huo Qubing (140-117BC) was a brave and skillful general under Emperor Wudi and led his troops to fight the invading the Huns across Qilian Mountain. He died at the age of 24. Emperor Wudi gave orders to build his tomb in the shape of Qilian Mountain, where the general had achieved his first victory, and to erect sixteen remarkable stone figures of beasts and demons in front of hi tomb to commemorate his deeds.
The stone carvings in front of his tomb were exquisitely done in bold style. As the mountain range is marked by rugged rocks that resemble wild beasts, so Huo’s tumulus was strewn with grotesque rocks; furthermore, masons building the tomb sculptured many stone statues of animals– leaping and squatting horses, horse galloping over the Huns, resting tigers, kneeling elephants, piglets and fish, bears and other wild beasts preying on sheep and two strange human figures, perhaps demons or gods, one of which is wrestling a bear. They are by far the earliest and the most intact craftwork of large-scale round carving in China. They are also the outstanding representatives of the stone carving art in the Han Dynasty, and thus holding an important position in Chinese art history.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
