Shadow of the Tomb Raider: A Complete Record of the History of Tomb Raiders in China

Chapter 4 Talking about the Origin of Tomb Raiders (3)
From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, thick burials evolved into thin burials again.In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism rose and Buddhism was introduced.Taoism advocates thin burial, and Buddhism advocates cremation, which is also thin burial, and its influence is quite large.During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the forces of ethnic minorities entered the Central Plains, and their advocacy of thin burials also had a considerable impact.Various reasons contributed to the popularity of thin burials.During the Three Kingdoms period, people of insight took the lead in implementing it.Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of the Wei Dynasty, had a mausoleum based on the mountain, without sleeping halls, gardens and gods.The aristocratic families in the Wei and Jin Dynasties were extravagant and extravagant during their lifetime, but they also practiced relatively thin burials after death.However, the burial objects in the tombs have not been reduced due to the simplification of the tombs.In the large tombs of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, in addition to precious metalware, there are also porcelain representing the pinnacle of the handicraft industry at that time.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, in order to make the tomb more like a real mansion courtyard, the tomb passages were generally lengthened, and a patio was opened on the top. A patio symbolized a courtyard, and coffin beds, tables, etc. were built indoors.There are also epitaphs placed in the tomb, which are mainly used to record the life of the deceased, and pottery "tomb-slayer beasts" used to ward off evil spirits.During this period, more clans were buried in the mausoleum system, and family tombs further replaced clan cemeteries.Since then, the basic types of imperial mausoleums have been built in succession to the previous generation.

There are two types of mausoleums in the Tang Dynasty: "a mausoleum built with soil" and "a mausoleum surrounded by mountains".The accompanying mausoleum system of imperial tombs was further developed in the Tang Dynasty. For example, Zhaoling Mausoleum has 167 accompanying mausoleums.

In the laws after the Tang Dynasty, there were many regulations on burial tombs.These regulations allow people to know the official rank of the burial person just by looking at the size of the tomb.

Compared with the system of sitting west to east since the Qin and Han Dynasties and the "hidden burial" system of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the plane layout of the Tang Mausoleum has its own characteristics.It was designed in imitation of Tang Chang'an's system.The mausoleum is located in the northernmost part of the cemetery, which is equivalent to the palace city of Chang'an, and can be imitated as an imperial palace.Its underground is the Xuangong, and a square-shaped small city is built around the top of the mountain or a mound of soil on the ground. There are four walls around the city, with a gate on each side. There are double gates and double lions outside the gate, and the main gate is on the south.After the death of Emperor Tang, the selection of the mausoleum only considered Fengshui dragon veins, not unified planning.There are large stone carvings in front of the Tang Mausoleum.For example, there are stone tigers, stone rhinos and Huabiao in Xianling Mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu of Tang Dynasty, and stone carvings of "Six Horses of Zhaoling" and Shi Wengzhong in Zhaoling Mausoleum.

After the extravagant Tang Dynasty, Chinese tombs began to be simplified. The tombs of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are no longer full of pearls, and gradually, the tombs have become a world of copper coins and daily utensils.

In the Northern Song and Southern Song Dynasties, due to political weakness, the imperial mausoleums were relatively small in scale and unremarkable, and they suffered many catastrophes.Lu You's "Miscellaneous Poems of the Southern Song Dynasty" says: "Looking back at the Eastern Capital, I am weeping, and I can't bear to peep at the legacy of the crystal. There are still sad places in the Southern Dynasty, and the spring breeze of the Nine Temples is a plow." After reading it, I can't help but feel sad.

The layout style that really marks the maturity of the Chinese imperial mausoleum system is the Ming Mausoleum.The shape of the Ming Mausoleum changed from square to round, taking the form of Baocheng Baoding and Fangcheng Minglou, which not only showed the majesty and majesty of the emperor's mausoleum, but also had a high level of architectural art; more attention was paid to the sealing and anticorrosion of the coffin; The pilgrimage ceremony is more grand and complete, and there are large-scale, luxurious and luxurious cemetery buildings: the main entrance of the cemetery has a majestic archway, and after passing the archway, three brick and wood structures are formed along the central axis of the Shinto from south to north. Group: The first part is the stele pavilion, the divine kitchen, the divine treasury, etc.; the second part is the sacrificial hall and auxiliary hall; the third part is the Baocheng, Minglou, etc.Among them, the most representative one is the Ming Shenzong Dingling Xuan Palace, which is known as the "underground palace". The total area of ​​the tomb is 1195 square meters, and its magnificent atmosphere is rare in the world.Qing Mausoleum is divided into Qing Dong Mausoleum and Qing Western Mausoleum.The Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty are located 125 kilometers northeast of Beijing, near Malanyu in Zunhua, Hebei; the Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty are located more than 120 kilometers southwest of Beijing, in Lianggezhuang, Yi County, Hebei.The Qing Mausoleum has inherited the majestic features of the Ming Mausoleum, and its architectural art has reached a higher level.

It's all the fault of the burial

When it comes to tomb robbery, we have to mention the ancient Chinese funeral customs.The development of tomb robbery in ancient China is closely related to the evolution of funeral customs.Funeral customs are based on funerals, which have been followed and accumulated among the people for a long time. Funeral customs and customs.

Before the Yin Dynasty, people already had the concept of wishing for the immortality of the soul.During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, this concept became more abundant and strengthened.People at that time believed that the concept of death was always inseparable from the consciousness of life. The soul came from the sky and the soul from the earth. posterity.Therefore, the souls of the ancestors are infinitely worshiped by future generations.This is the direct reason why grave mounds appeared in funeral customs during the Yin and Shang Dynasties.The emergence of grave mounds was the first significant change in the evolution of the funeral system to the Yin Dynasty.

In the traditional Chinese thinking, the concept of "death is like life, and death is like existence" is deeply rooted. People's nostalgia for life and fear of death have made human beings create and accept the beautiful myth of the immortal soul.Therefore, after finding their final destination - the tomb, people regard it as a "new home" and decorate it greatly, and the trend of thick burials intensifies.Bronze ritual vessels, jade vessels and other funerary objects are often buried in the tombs of some high-ranking nobles.In addition to exquisite burial objects, there are often martyrs and martyrs in large tombs, and some tombs contain hundreds of martyrs.The Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang has not been excavated, and the treasures in it are unknown, but according to the "Historical Records": "The world sent more than [-] people, passed through three springs, and cast copper to form the outer coffin. full."

The emperors of the Han Dynasty used one-third of the total tax revenue in the world to build mausoleums, so the collections in the Han Mausoleum are very rich.In the mausoleum of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in addition to countless gold, silver, pearls and jade, there are also birds, beasts, fish, turtles, cattle, horses, tigers and leopards. A glimpse of the situation during the tomb robbery: At that time, the Red Eyebrow Army of the Western Han Dynasty excavated Maoling, and tens of thousands of rebels carried it for several days, but "the contents of the tomb cannot be reduced by half."The "Golden Jade Clothes" worn by Emperor Wu (that is, clothes made of thousands of pieces of jade and gold thread) are different from other emperors. The jade pieces are ingeniously carved with dragons, phoenixes, tortoises, and unicorns. The mascot is an exquisite work of art.The princes also wear "silver thread jade clothes".When the nobleman and princess died, they wore "copper threaded jade clothes". In 1968, the tomb of King Jing of Zhongshan was excavated in Mancheng, Hebei. King Jing of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng and his wife were both dressed in "golden jade clothes".Among them, Liu Sheng's jade garment is 1.88 meters long and is made of 1100 grams of gold thread connected with 2498 pieces of jade pieces of various sizes.More than 20 sets of "Golden Jade Clothes" of the Han Dynasty have been discovered so far.

Similarly, the number of its treasures has not yet been known because it has not been excavated, and there is also the Qianling Mausoleum where Tang Gaozong Li Zhi and Wu Zetian were buried together.Although the accompanying tomb was stolen in the early years, there are still more than 4000 cultural relics unearthed.For example, the three-color tomb-guarding beasts, official figurines, warrior figurines, pommel horses, camels, etc. unearthed from the tomb of Prince Zhanghuai are tall and brightly glazed, which belong to the fine works of Tang figurines.The gold, copper gilt, and jade ornaments in the tombs of Princess Yongtai and Prince Yide have various shapes and fine carvings.There are also many murals in the tomb, which are rich in content.From this, we can infer how rich the Qianling collection will be.

Ming Shenzong Zhu Yijun Dingling Mausoleum has countless treasures.Beside his head, there is a Yishan crown, which is woven with fine gold threads and weighs more than 800 grams.There are two golden dragons coiled on it, which are rare and priceless treasures in the world.On the queen's four phoenix crowns, they are decorated with golden dragons, emerald phoenixes, flowers and birds.On one of the tops, there are 4 golden dragons, 12 emerald phoenixes, and 9 pairs of bo temples (the wings behind the phoenix crown, decorated with pearls).Between the dragon and the phoenix, there are pearls, jade and precious stones; one of them is decorated with more than 3 pearls and more than 2300 gems of various colors, which can be called rare treasures.Among the unearthed cultural relics, there is also a treasure called "treasure flower" (the ornament on the belt), which is inlaid with extremely precious gemstones such as "cat's eye" and "emerald". "Cat's Eye", commonly known as "Night Pearl", reacts very strangely to light, and can form a crystal bright blue beam of light in the center, like a cat's eyes, so it is also called "Opal".This kind of gemstone is rare in nature and is only produced in a few places in today's Sri Lanka.It is said that in the Ming Dynasty, a large bean was worth a thousand gold.These precious flowers embedded with opals as big as thumbs are breathtaking, and their value is difficult to calculate.In addition, there are thousands of pieces of gold, silver and jade porcelain, lacquer carvings of wooden figurines, and bundles of silk and satin, all of which are ingenious and priceless.

In a ritual society, the level of funerals is also strictly regulated, such as the number of burial coffins, the number of funeral utensils, etc., which cannot be overstepped or sloppy.People in later generations often use this etiquette system to show their status and dignity, and comparisons have emerged over time.

In the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong wore treasures after his death.The Empress Dowager Cixi, who enjoyed all the splendor of the world during her lifetime, ruled China for half a century, and caused disasters to the country and the people, still enjoyed extravagance after her death, and her tomb was even more unimaginably rich.It is said that after Cixi's death, there was a fluorescent "night pearl" in her mouth that could reflect her hair within a hundred steps. A green lotus leaf was placed on her head, and a large pink tourmaline lotus flower was placed at her feet. , wearing a gold silk beaded color embroidered gown, wearing a phoenix crown made of pearls; the quilt covered has a large peony flower made of pearls, and the bracelet is a large chrysanthemum and 1 small plum blossoms inlaid with diamonds. concatenated.There are 6 Buddha statues carved in gold, ruby ​​and jade beside him.One emerald watermelon, two melons, two cabbages, and more than 27 peaches, plums, apricots, and dates made of precious stones are placed on the left and right sides of the feet.On the left side of the body, there is a lotus flower made of jade, and on the right side is a red coral tree carved with jade.In addition, there are more than 200 treasures including 8 jade horses and eighteen jade arhats.After the treasures were buried, another 700 liters of pearls and 4 pieces of red and sapphires were poured into the space in the coffin.This coffin full of rare treasures, according to people's estimates at the time, does not include the personal offerings of the royal relatives, princes and ministers, but only the royal funerary items, which is worth 2200 million taels of silver. The waste is so great that the world is amazed .

It is this kind of grotesque underground treasure buried with the dead that ignites the greedy desires of the bold and reckless, which leads to the intensification of the existing tomb robbery. The ground and the underground are unfolded like a seesaw, and it has been undulating for thousands of years, and it is endless in the world.The majestic emperor's mausoleum surrounded by mountains and water surrounded by spiritual realms and open sky, the phosphorescent blue light flickering in the emperor's mausoleum, and the countless treasures stolen from the mausoleum made the world have mixed feelings and heartbroken.

Throughout history, thick burials and tomb robbery have developed in a cohesive trend.The stronger the trend of thick burials, the higher the tide of tomb robbery.Perhaps, the emperors and generals of all dynasties did not expect that when they were painstakingly managing their future "Elysium", an activity to destroy this world was accompanied by it, and this kind of destruction was so rampant that it made people The corpses of the dead lay across the field, making the living shudder.

Tomb robbers covet treasure

As early as the mid-Western Han Dynasty, Yang Wangsun, a famous scholar, once pointed out: "A thick burial is beneficial to the deceased...or it may be buried today and released tomorrow. This is really different from the dead in the middle of the wild!"

Another scholar, Liu Xiang, also said: "Qiu Long is very tall, and the palaces and temples are very beautiful. Excavation must be done quickly!"

An imperial edict in the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote: "The system of burial for the people today is extravagant. The living have no stones to bear, and their financial resources are spent on the graves. There is no dross in Fula, and the animal prisons are combined in one place, breaking the legacy of generations." Is it the meaning of filial piety to pay for daily expenses? There is a minister who declares the ban and proclaims the county and country."

Zhang Zai, a great writer of the Jin Dynasty, described the tragic situation after the imperial tombs of the Han Dynasty were stolen in "Poems of Seven Sorrows". , The room is opened to a secluded household, the pearl box is separated from the jade body, and the treasures are seen by the captives."

This shows that the ancients had long been aware of the dangers of thick burials.But it is a pity that these voices of reason were so weak in the secular society at that time.Under the domination of the idea of ​​"death is like life", although the trend of thick burials has declined at a certain stage in history, it has become more and more powerful and unstoppable. It is not surprising that the country of the country is a tomb that everyone digs.”

The earliest recorded incidents of robbery and excavation occurred in the late Western Zhou Dynasty more than 2700 years ago. The earliest famous tomb stolen was the tomb of Shang Tang, the first king of the Shang Dynasty, about 3600 years ago.Later, Tangwang Tomb was stolen several times, and the cave was almost empty.According to "The Record on the Ridge", during the Tianci period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Zhang En, a native of Hedong, robbed and excavated the tomb of King Tang. He only got some ancient clocks and dials, but he felt that they were useless, so he threw them all into the river.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Chaoru, who was transported in Shaanxi, stole the tomb of Bigan, a famous official at the end of the Shang Dynasty. It is said that a copper plate with a diameter of more than 2 feet and a jade piece with a length of more than 3 inches were stolen from it.

The tomb of King Zhou You, the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, was robbed and excavated by Liu Qu, the king of Guangchuan in the Western Han Dynasty.According to "Miscellaneous Records of Xijing", the tomb is "very tall and strong. When the Xianmen gate is opened, it is all chalk. When the depth of more than ten feet is removed, mica is found. It is more than a foot deep and there are more than a hundred corpses. They are all immortal and unique. Men, the rest are all women, whether they are sitting or lying down, there are still standing ones, and their clothes and shapes are not different from strangers."

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the first upsurge of tomb robbery in Chinese history appeared. "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" said: "Today someone put a stone inscription on the ridge here, saying: 'There are many things in it, such as jewels, jade, and good property. People will laugh at each other and think it is a great confusion. The rich burials of the world are similar to this. From ancient times to the present, there is no country that will not perish. There is no country that is not perish. As far as the ears and eyes can see, Qi, Jing, and Yan are dead, Song and Zhongshan are dead, Zhao, Wei, and Han are all dead, and they are all old countries. Since then, countless countries have perished, so the big tomb Everything is deducted." This shows the rampant tomb robbery at that time.The famous stolen tombs recorded in relevant history books include Jinling Cemetery, Qijing Cemetery, Guan Zhong Tomb, Wu King Helu Tomb, Wei Xiang King Tomb, Wei Anli (lí) King Tomb, Wei Ai King Tomb, Zhao Jianzi Tomb, etc. .

According to modern archaeological surveys, before the founding of New China, there were three tombs unofficially excavated or stolen during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods:

One is the Zheng cemetery discovered in 1923 when farmers in Xinzheng, Henan Province were digging a well.In this tomb, a batch of important bronze wares were unearthed. Due to non-scientific excavations, cultural relics and materials cannot be fully collected and preserved, which makes it difficult to determine the owner and age of the tomb. Based on some cultural relics, researchers deduce that this tomb may be the tomb of a king of Zheng State .Fortunately, most of these bronzes are still in China.

The second is the tomb of King Zhou in Jincun, Luoyang, which was robbed in the summer of 1928. In the summer of 1928, heavy rains caused the tomb to sink.At that time, a tomb robber happened to live in a melon shed to watch the wind and rain. It was in the middle of the night, and suddenly there was a sound of collapse and squeeze in the field.So he put on his coir raincoat and went to investigate in the rain. Not long after, he saw the collapsed tomb clearly through the flash of thunder and lightning, and the tomb robber went back to sleep in the melon shed.When dawn broke in the east the next day, when the wind stopped and the rain stopped, the tomb robbers found a shovel and other things to dig up the tomb. In less than an hour, they easily entered the tomb, and the exquisite cultural relics inside were looted.What is even more unfortunate is that almost all of these cultural relics were scattered overseas during the war of the Republic of China. It is difficult for local Chinese scholars to get a glimpse of their true colors, so they can only go to overseas, especially major museums in the United States.Some researchers, such as Li Xueqin, a mainland bronze expert, inferred from some inscriptions on the artifacts that these artifacts obviously belonged to the Zhou royal family, and this tomb is likely to be the tomb of the Zhou king.Because most of the materials in the tomb were scattered and damaged, it is not clear which king of the Zhou Dynasty it is.

(End of this chapter)