Гробница Сяо Цяо

The Xiao Qiao Tomb, also known as the Tomb of the Two Qiaos, is located just north of Yueyang Tower within the tower's scenic area in central Yueyang, Hunan. It is traditionally identified as the burial place of Xiao Qiao, the younger of the famous "Two Qiaos" of the late Eastern Han dynasty, whose beauty was celebrated in the classical Chinese literature of the Three Kingdoms period and whose story has been retold for nearly two thousand years.

The Two Qiaos were the daughters of the Qiao family of the southern state of Wu during the late Eastern Han, and they were married to the warlords Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, two of the central figures in the campaigns that led to the Three Kingdoms period. Xiao Qiao, the younger sister, was the wife of Zhou Yu — the brilliant strategist who masterminded the allied victory over Cao Cao's much larger northern fleet at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 CE, a few hundred kilometers up the Yangtze from Yueyang. The tomb in Yueyang is the traditional site associated with her burial, and it has been a place of literary pilgrimage for centuries.

The tomb itself is a circular earthen mound enclosed by a paved walkway and protected by a stone balustrade, designed to create a quiet, solemn atmosphere. The surrounding garden is laid out in the Jiangnan garden style — small but carefully composed, with brick-and-timber pavilions, green tiled roofs, and plantings that change with the seasons. The architectural restraint of the enclosure gives the tomb a contemplative quality distinct from the more monumental landmarks nearby, and the contrast is part of what makes the site worth visiting.

For international visitors, the Xiao Qiao Tomb is best appreciated as a brief but evocative stop within a broader walking tour of the Yueyang Tower area. The site is small, and a visit of 15 to 30 minutes is usually sufficient, but for travelers familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms — one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature — the tomb offers a tangible connection to the historical and legendary world of the Eastern Han transition. Even for visitors without that background, the quiet garden and the lakeside setting make this a pleasant pause within the more crowded Yueyang Tower grounds.