Among the eight golden artifacts recovered from the tomb of Princess Ru Ru were two Byzantine coins. They had traveled thousands of miles along trade routes connecting Constantinople to the North China Plain, and they had been buried with a nomadic princess in sixth-century Hebei. The Northern Dynasties tombs of Ci County, discovered beginning in 1974 near Handan, contain some of the most revealing archaeological evidence of a period when China was fragmented, cosmopolitan, and artistically daring.
The discoveries unfolded over decades. In 1974, archaeologists found the Tomb of Zhao, a local official. A year later, the Tomb of Northern Qi Yao June yielded 136 pottery figurines. Then in 1979 came the tomb that changed the scale of everything: the burial chamber of Princess Ru Ru, containing 1,056 pottery figurines along with pottery horses, ceramic camels, and those eight golden objects. A 320-square-meter mural lined the tomb's passageway, its imagery depicting a military procession that conveyed the dignity of an imperial funeral. Between 1987 and 1989, the tomb of Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi was excavated, producing more than 1,800 additional figurines. In 1992, the State Council designated the entire group a national key cultural relic.
The figurines from Princess Ru Ru's tomb serve as a political text in clay. Ru Ru was of the Rouran people, a powerful nomadic confederation from the northern steppes. Her marriage into the Eastern Wei court was a diplomatic act binding two cultures. The funeral objects reflect both worlds -- terracotta soldiers in Chinese military dress alongside figurines depicting people from multiple ethnic backgrounds, their varying costumes documenting the ethnic diversity of sixth-century northern China. Scholars read in these figures the rulers' aspiration toward national amalgamation, a political project that defined the era. The Byzantine coins suggest trade connections stretching far beyond China's borders.
Most of the figurines are modest in size -- the smallest stand just two inches tall, while larger examples reach about a foot in height. The exception is a figure from Emperor Wenxuan's tomb that towers at 1.6 meters, an extraordinary scale for burial pottery of this period. The tombs themselves were compact, which meant hundreds of objects were packed into relatively small spaces. The craftsmanship rivals and sometimes exceeds the more famous Terracotta Army of Xi'an. Where the Qin dynasty soldiers project mass-produced uniformity, the Ci County figurines display individuality: roughly twenty different human forms, each rendered with attention to facial expression, clothing, and posture that makes them feel less like funerary goods and more like portraits of a vanished society.
Located at 36.309N, 114.316E near Ci County in the Handan metropolitan area, Hebei Province. Flat terrain of the North China Plain. Nearest major airport: Handan Airport (ZBHD). The ancient capital of Ye lies nearby to the south. Recommended viewing altitude: 3,000-5,000 feet AGL.