The Tomb of Concubine Yang

The Tomb of Concubine Yang is situated about 60 km. to the west of Xi' an. Yang Guefeis' tomb is situated near to Xianyang city which was the capital of China's first dynasty.

Although many of the tombs and the Famen Temple are a long way out of Xi'an, it is worth visiting these places if you have time. It takes a long day to see all the sights along this route and it's best to just pick a few of the more interesting tombs and Temples along the route and make the effort to see them properly.

Yang Guifei was the Emperor Tang Ming Huang's concubine who hung herself to save her lover's name and the empire. Yang's tomb is a popular spot with Chinese tourists and she is considered to be one of the most beautiful women ever to have lived. The story goes that when the Emperor took Yang into the gardens, beautiful flowers would shy away as they felt inferior in comparison to her beauty.

Until a few years ago, young Chinese girls would visit here on the third day of the third month in the lunar year, take some soil from around the tomb and mix it with flour. Popular belief holds that this "concubines powder" makes you beautiful if it is applied to the face. However, as the ground around the tomb began to disintegrate, authorities put a stop to this romantic practice by building a blue wall around the tomb! In the corridors surrounding the courtyard of the tomb, the work of numerous famous writers is displayed, depicting their views on this tragic love story.