Zhang Qian Tomb in ChengguCounty -- a world heritage site along the Silk Road

Situated in Chenggu County, Hanzhong City, Zhang Qian Tomb is the place where Zhang Qian, the famous diplomat who developed the Silk Road during the Western Han Dynasty, was buried. With a sloping path leading to its entrance, the tomb is a brick structure that faces east. Built by ramming the earth repeatedly added to the structure under construction, the tomb looks like an inverted winnowing pan when viewed at a distance but like a rectangle when viewed from above. It measures 19.5 meters from north to south, 16.6 meters from west to east, and 4.26 meters high.

Zhang Qian died of a disease in Chang'an in 114 BC, but his remains were moved to his native land later. This tomb is recorded in large amounts of literature formed over the years since the Han Dynasty, which enables historians to trace its roots back to the period of Zhang. The National United University of Northwest China conducted a preliminary excavation on the tomb path in 1938, unearthing a number of cultural relics, including sealing clay pieces inscribed with the Chinese characters of "Bo Wang Zao Ming," ceramic pieces, earthen jars, and coins from the Han Dynasty. These finds have archaeologically proved the authenticity of the tomb.