The Dahuting Tomb of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) is located in the west of Dahuting Village on the southern banks of the Suihe River, six kilometers west of Xixian Couty, Henan Province.
The tomb site consists of twin tombs located in the east and west. The west tomb is 15 meters high, while the east one is 7.5 meters high with a circumference of some 330 meters. Excavations between 1960 and 1961 dated the tomb to the late East Han Dynasty (25-220).
The structures of the two tombs are almost the same. The coffin chamber is made of bricks and stones and is connected by a white mash that can be divided into eight parts. Compared to the east tomb, the west one, at 25.16 meters long, 17.28 meters wide and 4.88 meters deep, is larger. South of the chamber is the 25-meter, sloped passageway. The inner passageway wall contains paintings and carvings with a rich variety and unique technique. The two tomb gates are engraved with animals and birds. The front chamber ceiling is decorated with lotus and rhombus forms, and the walls of the chamber are engraved with paintings of welcoming guests. The small chamber walls in the east, south and north are engraved with daily life activities, such as cooking, playing and cart and horse outings, and mythical stories of the divine child on a deer, the divine old man on a camel and the divine queen. Such examples demonstrate that Taoism was popular in the Han Dynasty.
The east tomb is smaller and has colored murals illustrating cart and horse outings, dancing and singing at banquets and physiognomy, which supplies valuable data for the study of ancient acrobatic arts in China.
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