Princess Linhe

Yujiulu Chidilian (郁久閭叱地連)

Marriage She was brought to China in 542 by Gao Huan as a "diplomatic bride" for his son. Many instances of Heqin, the historical practice of Chinese emperors marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states and vice versa, have been documented, with notably the cases of Princess Lelang (乐浪公主), who was married to Princess Linhe's fellow countryman Yujiulü Hulü in 411, and Yujiulü Zhaoyi (郁久闾昭仪), who was married to Feng Ba, Emperor of Northern Yan.

Thus, the marriage to Gao Huan's son was a means to seal an "alliance between the Eastern Wei and the princess' Rouran tribe, which dominated the region north of China." The clay figurines and vessels number to a thousand. Although the tomb was pillaged, it still contained, in addition to the aforementioned artifacts, Byzantine coins, gold and jeweled ornaments, the latter including a "striking gold placque" inlaid with pearls and amber. The tomb consists of one brick chamber measuring 5.23x5.58 meters, with a corridor connecting the chamber to a passageway, in the style of the Northern dynasties. The tomb is square, with the walls bowing into a cupola on the top. The collapsed ceiling was once decorated with the firmament. The walls are thoroughly covered with images. Her body was found on a platform with a border of limestone. Her tomb is one of the few excavated tombs from the mid-sixth century, and one of the three largest tomb in the region of Ye. Further, the tomb is the "earliest known long, sloping passageway decorated with life-size guards," and with its overall style it heralds a "decisive visual change."