BEIJING: Some 1,400 years ago, a young girl, celebrated as China’s “most pampered child,” was laid to rest in a palace-like stone coffin, surrounded by her grandmother’s affection and a wealth of treasures.
Li Jingxun, an aristocrat from the Sui dynasty (581–618), also known as “Little Girl,” hailed from Longxi, located in what is now northwest China’s Gansu province.
Her story unfolded during a tumultuous period in Chinese history, marked by the transition from the fractured Northern dynasties (386–581) to the brief yet unifying Sui dynasty, which paved the way for the Tang era (618–907).
Her family wielded significant power: her great-grandfather was the renowned general Li Xian, and her grandmother, Yang Lihua, was the empress of the Northern Zhou and the eldest daughter of the Sui founder.
Raised and educated within the palace by her beloved grandmother, Li was cherished and nurtured into a gentle, obedient child.
Historical accounts extol her “intelligence and virtue,” likening her to an orchid.
Although no portraits of her exist, modern reconstructions, including re-enactments by Chinese state media, depict her as a noble girl adorned with twin circular hair buns and a delicate, porcelain-like complexion.
In 608, Li fell ill during a summer retreat and tragically died at the tender age of nine in a palace in Shanxi.
The emperor at the time, her granduncle, ordered her return to the capital with the highest ceremonial honours, removing the palace’s ceremonial instruments and observing a fast in mourning.
Her devastated grandmother reportedly buried Li in a temple along with hundreds of treasures and commissioned a grand multi-storey pagoda above her tomb.
In traditional Chinese belief, a temple was deemed essential to soothe the soul of a child who had died young.
In 1957, Chinese archaeologists unearthed Li’s tomb in Xian, located in north-central China’s Shaanxi province, hailed as the most complete and highest-ranking Sui dynasty tomb still preserved.
Li was interred in a palace-like stone coffin inscribed with a warning: “Whoever opens this coffin shall die.”
The coffin was adorned with carved attendants and male guardians, while lotus flowers, dragons, and vermilion birds decorated the doors, windows, and columns.
The tombstone detailed Li’s identity, birth and death dates, family lineage, and funeral rites, along with her grandmother’s heartfelt words: “Like an orchid cut too soon, her beauty and promise withered before reaching its peak.”
Excavations of her tomb revealed over 240 burial items, including glassware and gold and silver jewellery, as well as nearly every daily necessity she may have used in her lifetime, from toys and cups to silk textiles.
Exquisite figurines of humans and animals were likely placed by her grandmother to keep her cherished granddaughter company in the afterlife.
Among the most remarkable artefacts was a gold crown, crafted from wire, sheets, pearls and gemstones to resemble a cluster of flowers with a moth hovering above.
Official records suggest that the crown embodied her grandmother’s wish for Li to enjoy “many children and lasting prosperity.”
The tomb also contained exotic treasures, including gold bracelets from Persia and perfume bottles believed to have originated overseas.
In April, the National Museum of China in Beijing opened an exhibition of Li’s artefacts to the public, igniting widespread discussion on mainland social media.
One visitor shared: “I can feel the bond between the grandmother and granddaughter across a thousand years. After seeing the exhibition, I miss my late grandmother even more.”
“Those who are loved never truly disappear, no matter how much time passes,” remarked another. - South China Morning Post
