Printed in the July 2009 Issue of ChinaGrooves

By Michael Kan

Coming here can feel a bit like walking through a Chinese haunted house.

The place itself is filled with untamed trees, all growing at their wild leisure and forming cobwebs of stringy branches here and there.

At the entrance is a pair of worn-down foo-lion statues, their once ferocious frames now dulled into slabs of featureless rock. Nearby, a brick well sits unused, filled with a soupy green liquid.

The decrepit atmosphere is perhaps fitting since this place is an ancient tomb after all. It belongs to Qin Er Shi秦二世, a historical figure of small consequence, but who also holds the title of being China’s second emperor.

Much has been written about the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇. But as for his son and successor, there's little. He ruled for only three years and then was forced to commit suicide as his dynasty crumbled.

The second emperor’s tomb likely reflects the poor stature of his legacy. If not for a small blue sign next to the road, the tomb could easily be mistaken as an abandoned area.

Surprisingly, one of the local groundskeepers says “This is the perfect time to be here.”

For the last 12 years, Ji Lamei has been helping to take care of the tomb. If not for her efforts and that of others, this place would have completely decayed years ago, she said.

“Many visitors who come to Xi’an often go to see the Terracotta warriors,” she said. “But this tomb is also an important part of the history of Qin.”

An old Chinese traditional home surrounds the actual grave. At one of the meager exhibits, a few of the ceiling panels to the roof are already coming apart. Meanwhile, the miniature homes made for a model display are covered in dust, with some of the paper captions rotted away.

Ji Lamei says the tattered state of tomb happens to many historical sites in China; there are simply too many of to take care of, she adds. But this isn't all a bad thing. Crossing into this tourist attraction can at times feel like going back in time, to a different place: where only brick and wood exist, and Xi’an’s modernity can hardly be felt.

But perhaps this ancient feeling won’t last much longer.

The second emperor’s tomb sits right near the heart of Xi'an's Qujiang district. Rows of modern apartments are being built nearby, while a grand lake fit for a resort sits just to north. Thus, the old tomb has become an out of place tourist attraction, amid the cutting-edge development already going on.

Ji Lamei says the government has made plans to revitalize the tomb in the next few months, with a completion date slated for this October.

Fixing it will be good for the tomb, Ji Lamei says. But it will be different, she adds.

Bus lines: 715, 224 to Qujiang Pool 曲江池