Liu Ji's name appears in the text on the tomb's stone inscription. Liu was born in AD 757 and died aged 53. As military governor of Youzhou, he was in charge of the civil and military affairs of the region, which included what is today Beijing and its surrounding area.

Liu's family remained one of the most influential in the region for nearly 400 hundred years. During a period of chaos, Liu, whose rule was relatively independent, maintained a very good relationship with the weak central government and kept offering tributes to the emperors.

Liu fell ill during an expedition and was murdered by his second son Liu Zong with poison. The son then killed his elder brother and took the hereditary position from his father.