Ji'an

Ji’an, an ancient city known as the “Little Jiangnan of the Frontier,” lies on the banks of the Yalu River at the southernmost tip of Jilin Province.

In 3 CE, this was the capital of Goguryeo, and today Ji’an remains one of the places in the world with the most preserved Goguryeo relics. Its 11,280 tombs, scattered densely and in many types, are considered the foremost of China’s ethnic-minority ancient tomb groups. The most prominent is the General’s Tomb, whose shape closely resembles the pharaoh tombs of ancient Egypt and which is hailed as the “Oriental Pyramid.”

There is also the Gwanggaeto Stele, celebrated as the “First Stele of the East”; the ancient Guonei City and Wandu Mountain Fortress; the ruins of the Qianqiu Tomb and Taiwangling; the Goguryeo murals in the tombs, themed on the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise; and the Yushan rock carvings, all part of the long-standing Dong’gou tomb culture.