Like cemeteries of the West, Chinese burial sites are also sacred places. While many Westerners believe the soul leaves the body for the next world, Chinese believe that part of the soul stays with the body after death. Hence, Chinese tombs remain spiritually alive long after the funeral takes place.

As a result of such beliefs, Chinese have invested tremendous energy and resources burying their dead, from the construction of steep ramps and underground chambers to the massing of huge earthen mounds above ground. Tombs were filled with precious and everyday objects: bronze ritual vessels, food jars, ceramic replicas, carved jade, silks and gold jewelry. A wealth of information on early Chinese civilization has been unearthed.

At the tomb, the world of the living on earth and the world of spirits in the afterlife intersected. Families in ancient China performed rituals to their ancestors, informed them of important events and prayed to them for good fortune. Often these ceremonies were conducted within the tomb itself.