Capital Cities and Tomes of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Updated: September 2, 2021

Capital Cities and Tomes of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom.png

Koguryo was a frontier nation from 37BC to 668 AD. The nation was one of the longest-lived regimes established by a minority people in history. For 428 years, Wandushan, which is now 2.5 kilometers away from Ji’an’s city center, was the capital of the Koguryo kingdom. Its history has left the city rich cultural relics.

There are more than 7,000 Koguryo tombs at the Donggou Plain outside the original city, surrounded by the mountains. The unique tomb designs and the wall paintings inside them still tell the legends of the regime from hundreds of years ago.

The main scenic spots here include the 14 tombs of the emperors. In the Jiangjun Tomb, located at the foot of Longshan Mountain four kilometers from Ji’an, rests the 20th Emperor of the Koguryo Regime — the Changshou Emperor. “Changshou” means long life in Chinese.

The tomb is cone-shaped and is 31 meters wide and 12 meters high, with seven stairs. The design reflects the architecture and art of the regime.

The spot was listed as a world cultural heritage in 2004.

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