[3]: 6079,6081  In 933 (the fourth year of the Changxing era of the Later Tang dynasty), Meng Zhixiang had the tomb renovated and formally prohibited the cutting of firewood in the nearby area.

[3]: 6091  In 1014 (the 7th year of the Dazhongxiangfu era of the Northern Song dynasty), several of the mausoleum buildings were demolished, and the material used to repair a local Taoist temple named Yuejuhua.

[4]: 9-10  The remaining buildings were served as a Buddhist temple named Yongning, renamed Yongqingyuan in 1103 (the second year of the Chongning period of the Northern Song Dynasty).

The poem described the grave as having already been heavily damaged,[7] stating that only two stone columns, carved with scriptures, and several huge human and horse statues still stood.

[10] Due to conditions at the time, the exposed parts of the site had to be temporarily closed, and an excavation plan was not developed until the establishment of the Sichuan Museum in 1941.

The site of the tomb is close to the location given in Lu You's poem,[9]: 1-4  but the archaeologists did not find the huge stone human statue it described.

[11] The sinologist, Michael Sullivan joined the excavation; he was mistaken by a middle school student for a foreign grave robber, reported to government officials, and detained along with other archaeologists.

On March 1, 1943, the archaeologist Wu Jinding and Wang Zhenduo, an expert in museology, launched the second stage of the excavation.

The grave is widely believed to be the location of the legendary meeting between Sima Xiangru and Zhuge Liang, two famous military strategists during the Three Kingdoms period.