The first Chinese mention of the cemetery in written record is in the Tang Dynasty, by Du You (杜佑) in A Comprehensive Guide (通典 Tong Dian).
It is called by the local Mongols as Temür Urkhu(?) (特木爾烏爾虎), meaning "Iron Wall". The nickname "Green Mound" (青塚 qin1 zhong3) is a legend that in autumn, when all grass and tree wither, those plants on the cemetery mound continue to prosper.