China's Underground World in Luoyang | Why Did Ancient Chinese Tombs Have Another Home?

Why did ancient Chinese tombs contain what looks like another home? The answer lies in an ancient Chinese belief summed up in four words: "Treating the dead as if they were still alive." There are no horror stories here—only a fascinating view of how the ancient Chinese understood life, death, and the afterlife. They believed that death was not the end of life, but the beginning of another world. Tombs were built as homes for the afterlife, filled with everyday objects, murals, banquets, journeys, and symbols of identity. Today, these ancient tombs appear more like peaceful underground homes than places of death. In this episode, we visit the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum, the only museum in China dedicated entirely to ancient tombs. Featuring 25 reconstructed tombs from the Western Han to the Song and Jin dynasties, it offers one of the best introductions to Chinese burial culture. From the Neolithic Age through the Shang and Zhou, Qin and Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, and finally the Song and Jin periods, we'll explore how ancient Chinese people understood death, imagined the afterlife, and preserved their hopes, beliefs, and family life beneath the earth. If you enjoy traveling across China and discovering its history and culture, subscribe and join me as we explore remarkable places and the stories behind them.