WHY WAS THE SITE OF THE MAUSOLEUM  CHOSEN TO BE AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT LI?  

  The construction of various monarchs'mausoleums during the Warring States Period (475-221B.C.) was often guided by plane design drawings.The construction of the mausoleum for the First Emperorfore these design drawings were made,the First Emperor of Qin governed the country at the capital Xianyang. Why,then,must the siteof the mau-soleum be choosen at the foot of Mount Li,a place quite far away from Xianyang?

  If one consults related ancient books and records,he or she will find that the first person who attempted to explain this matter was Li Daoyuan, the author of Commentary on the Waterways Classic during the Northern Wei Period(A.D.386-534).He wrote,"The First Em-peror of Qin went in for generous funeral rites,and had his mausouleum built at Mount lirong,another name of which is Lantian,with its northern slope rich in gold and its southern slope rich in jade.The First Emperor was covetous of its beautiful name,therefore he chose the place be his burial ground"on the surface,the explanation in The Waterways Classic seems to be plausible,but it is another thing if one ponders carefully over the possiblity,but it is another thing if one ponders carefully over the possiblity for the first Emperor of Qin,who was merely a 13-year-old child then,to know any-thing about the gold and jade produced in lantian.Even if he did know such a fact,the siting for the mausoleum at that time most probably did not depend on the personal choice of him,who was a king in name only.Therefore the answer seems to lie in the system of rites at that time and the mausoleum designer's intenion.

  First of all,the determination of the mausoleum's location is not unrelated to that of the previous Qin monarchs'mausoleums.The mausoleum of the First Emperor's Grandfather and the Empress Dowager,for example,is located in the vicinity of Zhiyang,which is to the west of Lintong Country.And the siting of the First Emperor'smausoleum at the foot of the Li Mountain to the east of Zhiyang was determined by the ritual system at that time,for the ancient emper's and king's mausoleums are often arranged according to their order of seniority and juniority,superiority and subordination during their life time.

  In addition,the siting of the mausoleum is also related to the concept of "constructing the mausoleum against the mountain,"a notion popular at that time.It leans against the Li Mountain and facesthe Wei River.Besides,the area has an elegant natural environment.It is only this part of the entire Li Mountain,from the east of Lintong Country to Ma'e,that has a high altitude,with the range undulating and peaks rising one higher than another.Gazing at the distant view,one can see the colossal first Emperor's mausoleum lying in such a place embraced by the peaks of the li Mountain and forming a unified entity with the mouatain.

  In a word,the location of the First Emperor's mausoleum is both in agreement with the ritual system that the tomb for a member of the younger generation should be built in the east,and embodies the traditional concept of "constructing the mausoleum against the mountain."