The White Pyramid of Xi’an: The Structure Hidden Behind China’s Tombs

In 1912, American trader Fred Meyer Schroder travelled through Shaanxi with a local Buddhist monk. He wrote that he saw a large grey-white pyramid surrounded by smaller pyramids. His guide said the structures were thousands of years old and that the story was kept in monastery records. Thirty-five years later, American pilot James Gaussman described a gigantic white pyramid south-west of Xi’an, with a jewel-like capstone. In 1947, Maurice Sheahan, the Far East director of Trans World Airlines, also said he had seen a large pyramid while flying over the region.

Three accounts do not create an archaeological site. They create a harder question than “was it built by aliens?” Why did observers at different times describe a huge structure near Xi’an while official maps and archaeology mainly discuss earthen tomb mounds? The White Pyramid theory says a structure larger than the known tombs was hidden behind the label of a royal mausoleum, planted trees, and restricted areas. Each time a photograph is assigned to another tomb, the question of the original structure is pushed away.