Cliff tombs were common in southwestern China during the Eastern Han dynasty. The tombs were carved into the rock face and decorated with details imitating the timber construction system of buildings aboveground. About a century ago，Western scholars launched an archaeological survey of rock-cut tombs in southwestern China. As a result，the understanding of cliff tombs advanced from the simple distinction between residence and tomb to their recognition as an independent architectural type. Afterwards，the members of the Zhongguo Yingzao Xueshe (Society for Research in Chinese Architecture)，who had worked in southwestern China for more than eight years，propagated the value of cliff tombs for the study of national (not just local) history. Based on previous research and the common structural problems shared by all cliff tombs，this paper reevaluates southwestern Chinese cliff tombs in terms of their importance for the architectural history of the Han dynasty，the discovery of new historical material，the recognition of rock-cut structures，and the phenomenon of mimicking wooden architecture in stone.