The Museum of Ancient Tomb in Luoyang City is situated on the top of Mangshan Mountainin 10 km (6 miles) north of the Luoyang City where trees are verdant and the leaves and flowers are luxuriant. The stools and tables made of stone, artificial hills, ponds and springs are scattered here and there.

"There is very little idle land atop Mangshan;
Everywehre are the ancient tombs of Luoyang."
On the summit of the Mangshan Hills is the largest conglomeration of ancient tombs in China. And the unique Museum of ancient tomb is also a beautiful peak garden. It is a splendid and antique building complex modeled after the style of Han Dynasty. Occupying 3 hectare (7.4 acres), it has two parts, the aboveground and the underground.

Being a famous local museum, it is noted for presenting Chinese ancient tombs, and it was open to the world in April, 1987. Now, this museum has 22 restored ancient tombs dating from the Han dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), including 10 Han tombs, 2 Tang (618-907) tombs and 5 Song tombs. Many colorful murals have been restored and pottery pieces and other relics excavated from the tombs are also on display.

The aboveground includes some grand and quiet buildings such as Shimenjue(Stone Gate), Wangqinglou(Viewing Tower), Sijiaolou(All Side Watch Tower).You will see the tablet inscribed with the name of the museum in Chinese characters, the Menque (a kind of ornamental watchtower set in front of palaces, mausoleums, temples and residences) carved from white marble, the Xumu (prelude) Hall with a pair of Tianlu (a mythical creature said to ward off evil spirits). In the hall houses there is a sand map showing the distribution of the Han Dynasty tombs. The two halls on either side of Xumu Hall include a library room, reception room, exhibition room, souvenir room and a room for taking photos, each being connected by cloisters. The side halls present models of the tombs, burial objects and simulations of funeral scenes from the primitive society to the Zhou Dynasty, which illustrate clearly the development of ancient tombs and the local customs of ancient Luoyang. Behind Xumu Hall lies the Xuan Hall, which is the entrance to the underground section. The latter half of the above ground section contains the Sijiao (quadrangle) Pavilion and the Wangjing (sightseeing) Pavilion. The function of the Sijiao Pavilion, an extension to the underground halls, is to provide ventilation and sunlight to the lower floor. In Wangjing Pavilion, you can either take a rest or look out over Luoyang City.

The architectures in the underground section are arranged in the Chinese character '回', totally moving and rehabilitating 22 typical tombs from the Western Han Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty. They are respectively Han Dynasty Hall, Wei & Jin Dynasties Hall, Tang Dynasty Hall and Song Dynasty Hall, exhibiting more than 500 cultural relics. The whole building was arranged like a clip. Both of the halls have Message Tunnels. They are mainly funerary objects, daily utensils and ornaments, the excavated color-painted pottery figures and the pink guardian animals being the most impressive. Another highlight in this section are the eye-catching murals depicting the ascent to heaven and the attainment of immortality, the exorcising of demons, fairy tales, historical stories, diagrams of astronomical phenomena and scenes of family life and social life of the tombs' occupants. In addition, the excavated epitaphs are really fine examples of calligraphy and stone inscriptions from these dynasties.

Ten tombs of the eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty were lined on the side of LiangHan Hall. Six of them are the wall painting tomb, which relates the historical events. Reflecting the life, cultures and arts of Han Dynasty in different aspects, it is of great value in the Chinese art history.The splendid Eastern Han Dynasty Touring Wall Painting Tomb is a precious material for studying the fashion and the riding system in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It had 9 carriages, 70 human figures and 50 horses in total.

In the Wei and Jin Hall has five tombs. Four men in three generations were jointly buried in the Guanzhong Tomb of Western Jin dynasty. It was involved with the historic incidence - the Rebellion of Eight Kingdoms. The tomb has a great value for archeology. More than 100 animated pottery figurines were unearthed in the Yuanzhao Tomb in the Northern Wei Dynasty. They not only showed off the power of the imperial family but also discovered the unique and delicate sculpture art in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

The Tangsong Hall kept 2 tombs in the Tang Dynasty and 5 tombs in the Han Dynasty. 100 articles of three-colour- glazed Tang Ware were unearthed in the joint burial of the general Anpu in the Tang Dynasty and they are hard and colorful and beautiful. With a high achievement in the art, they are the treasures of Tangsancai.