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

Chapter 7 The Mystery of Site Selection for "Feng Shui Treasure Land": Tomb Robbery and Feng Shui (2)
Zhao Kuangyin's father, Zhao Hongyin, was a senior general in the Five Dynasties and was stationed in Luoyang for a long time, so Zhao Kuangyin was born in the military camp - Luoyang Jiamaying.He spent his childhood in Luoyang, and after becoming emperor, he often visited various places.In the spring of the ninth year of Kaibao (976 A.D.), he went to Xijiu (Luoyang) for inspection, and visited the former residence of Jiamaying by the way. He recalled the scene of playing in childhood, and his nostalgia was beyond words.He pointed to a place and said to his entourage: "I had a favorite toy little stone horse when I was young, and I buried it here later. I wonder if I can still find it now?"Zhao Kuangyin picked it up and couldn't put it down, so he took it with him.On his way back to Tokyo, when he arrived at Gong County, he personally went to Yong'an Mausoleum, the cemetery of his parents, to pay homage (after Zhao Hongyin died, he was originally buried in the southeast corner of Kaifeng, and after Zhao Kuangyin became emperor, he was buried in Gong County in 963 A.D. Dengfeng Village, Zi Township, 40 miles southwest of the county).After the sacrifice, he climbed up to the southwest corner of the cemetery's sacred wall and looked around. When he saw the ancient green hills in the distance and the flowing water nearby, he immediately thought about the past and the past, and couldn't help feeling a sigh of relief.So, Zhao Kuangyin drew out a ringing arrow, put on a bow and shot towards the northwest, the arrow flew straight 400 meters away before falling.Zhao Kuangyin sighed, and said to his entourage ministers: "Life is like a white horse passing by, and there must be a place to return to. Remember, the place where the arrow fell today will be the place where I will rest in a hundred years." After finishing speaking, he took out the stone horse and ordered people to bury it in the The place where the arrow fell was recorded, and I personally drew up the name——Yongchang.

On October [-]th of this year, Zhao Kuangyin sat alone by the Taiqing Lake in the palace, looking closely at the night, he saw bright stars, a gentle breeze, and tranquility.But soon, the sky changed drastically, and he hurried back to the palace to summon his younger brother Kaifeng Yin (the governor of the capital) Zhao Guangyi to meet him in the palace.After Guangyi arrived, he ordered the concubines, court ladies, eunuchs and other attendants to retreat to the outer courtyard. The two drank and whispered, and no one could hear what was being said.Only from the window through the window paper, "seeing the shadow of the candle in the distance, Taizong might be overwhelmed when he was avoiding the table", and saw the emperor holding a big ax thumping on the ground, and said loudly: "It's easy to do! It's easy to do!" Then he fell down on the bed , "Breath like thunder".Guangyi stayed in the house that night.When the sky was about to dawn, everything was silent, and suddenly someone reported that "the emperor died".

Historians believe that the death of Song Taizu was due to some kind of manipulation by his brother Zhao Guangyi, but it is difficult to clarify the truth today after thousands of years.And "the shadow of the candle and the sound of the axe" has become an unsolved case in history.

After Zhao Kuangyin's death, the coffin was parked in the Long Live Hall, and the emperor's younger brother, concubine, prince, and civil and military ministers offered sacrifices every day.In April of the following year, the coffin was transported to the imperial mausoleum—now Zhitian Township, Gongyi City, for burial.More than 3000 officials, guards, guards of honor, and concubines who escorted the hearse arrived on the 25th at the mausoleum chosen by Taizu.

There are more than 300 mausoleums of emperors, empresses and ministers in Song Mausoleum, which is the largest group of imperial mausoleums in central China.There are more than 700 exquisite stone carvings on the ground, which have important cultural value and artistic value.The mausoleums of the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty have a unified system and the same plane layout. They all face south and are composed of four parts: the upper palace, the palace city, the underground palace and the lower palace. Pines and cypresses, solemn and quiet.Xicun Mausoleum is located between Changfeng Village and Hutuo Village in the north of Xicun Township, including the Yong’an Mausoleum of Xuanzu Zhao Hongyin, the Yongchang Mausoleum of Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, and the Yongxi Mausoleum of Taizong Zhao Guangyi; Caizhuang Mausoleum is located in the north of Caizhuang, with Zhenzong Zhao Heng Yongding Mausoleum; Xiaoyi Mausoleum is located in the southwest of the county, including Yongzhao Mausoleum of Renzong Zhao Zhen and Yonghou Mausoleum of Yingzong Zhao Shu; Baling Mausoleum is located in the south of Baling Village, including Yongyu Mausoleum of Shenzong Zhao Xu, Zhezong Zhao Xu Yongtai Mausoleum.

Good feng shui cannot guarantee stability

In our country, Feng Shui is a very tempting topic.In ancient times, especially after the Han and Tang Dynasties, from the imperial palaces and tombs to government offices, temples and private houses, most of them were deeply influenced by Fengshui theory in the process of site selection and construction.

At first, Feng Shui was only used by the ancients when they were looking for cemeteries.Its theory is probably: there is life in the burial ground, and life can bring good news.But the vitality in the ground is flowing, it will be lost when the wind blows, and it will stop when it is blocked by the current.Therefore, when the ancients searched for a cemetery, they always chose a place where the vitality condensed, that is, a place where the wind could not blow and the water flow could block its flow.Later, people extended the concept of Feng Shui to cities, residential areas and other fields.In order to make a distinction, people divide Feng Shui into two categories: Yin House Feng Shui and Yang House Feng Shui.

The divination and selection of the imperial mausoleums of the Ming Dynasty was carried out under the guidance of Feng Shui in the Yin House.The policy of divination selection is: there are mountains on all sides, water on the left, right and front; twists and turns of mountains and rivers; dragon (the mountain range behind the mausoleum), cave (the place where the coffin is placed in the mausoleum), sand (other mountains other than the dragon in the mausoleum's feng shui pattern) , the matching relationship between water (rivers), and so on.

The terrain where the Ming Tombs are located is surrounded by mountains on the north, east, and west sides, and the south is open.There are two hills on both sides of the Shinto at 6000 meters in front of the mausoleum, the "Dragon Mountain" in the east and the "Tiger Mountain" in the west, which conforms to the pattern of four spirits with the green dragon in the east and the white tiger in the west.Measured by Fengshui theory, Tianshou Mountain is a stretch of mountains with strong "dragon veins". The mausoleum stands on the south side, the main peak stands behind it, surrounded by "sand-protecting (mountains)" on the left and right, and stretches to the small plain of Beijing in the south, with a broad prospect.The "Ming Tang" (base site) of the mausoleum is flat and wide, with lush vegetation on the mountain and "vigorous" terrain. It is undoubtedly an auspicious soil for the imperial mausoleum.Under the guidance of traditional Chinese Fengshui theory, from site selection to planning and design, the Ming Tombs pay great attention to the harmony and unity of mausoleum buildings and natural mountains, rivers, water flow and vegetation, and pursue the perfect state similar to "made in heaven and earth", so as to embody " "Heaven and man as one" philosophy.

The site selection of the Ming Tombs has been fully considered, such as the factors of the heavenly stems (that is, the time of day, three, six, and nine), human factors (the tombs of the thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty were built here), and the factors of the land ( The soil quality is very poor, and Hushan is the worst. Maybe its original soil quality was good, but it has changed by now).The Ming Tombs are a geomantic treasure that gathers people and talents, just like the Forbidden City. Although the dynasties have changed, the nation has become stronger.

The development of history and the change of dynasties are not judged by people's will or the quality of Feng Shui.Therefore, even if the Ming Tombs are a treasure land of geomantic omen, they cannot keep the Ming Dynasty forever.Huang Renyu said in "The 15th Year of Wanli": "1587 is the 15th year of Wanli, the year of Ding Hai. On the surface, it seems that the world is peaceful and there is nothing to remember. In fact, our Ming Empire has come to the end of its development. At this time, the emperor's hard work or peace of mind, the dictatorship or reconciliation of the chief minister, the creativity or habit of peace of the senior generals, the integrity or corruption of the civil servants, the extreme progress or absolute conservativeness of the thinkers, the final result, There is no distinction between good and evil, and none of them can achieve meaningful development in their careers. The rulers of the dynasty have become corrupt and incompetent, and serious problems have emerged in the ruling mechanism. They have been unable to control the era at that time, and have not adapted to the development of society. Therefore, the demise of the Ming Dynasty is inevitable.In this case, it is obviously unreasonable to attribute the demise of the Ming Dynasty entirely to the geomantic omen of the Ming Tombs.

Soul Returns to Beidou Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum

Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the joint burial tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his empress Ma.Because of the queen's posthumous posthumous title of "Xiaoci", it was named Xiaoling.Located at the foot of Mount Everest in Dulongfu at the southern foot of Zijin Mountain in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing, on the west side of Maoshan Mountain, adjacent to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in the east and Meihua Mountain in the south, it is the largest imperial mausoleum in Nanjing and one of the largest imperial mausoleums in ancient China. In 2003, the 27th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided on July 2003, 7, and was selected as a world cultural heritage.The surrounding Chang Yuchun Tomb, Qiu Cheng Tomb, Wu Liang Tomb, Wu Zhen Tomb and Li Wenzhong Tomb are also included in the scope of world heritage protection.The World Heritage Committee commented on the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty in this way: The royal tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were carefully selected according to Fengshui theory, and a large number of buildings were cleverly placed underground.It is the product of man's transformation of nature, embodies traditional architectural and decorative ideas, and explains the world view and power view of feudal China that lasted for more than 3 years.

Ming Xiao Mausoleum has experienced more than 600 years of vicissitudes, and the wooden structures of many buildings no longer exist, but the layout of the mausoleum still retains the original grand style, and the catacombs are intact.The main buildings and stone carvings in the mausoleum area, Fangcheng, Minglou, Baocheng, Baoding, including Xiamafang, Dajinmen, Shengong Shengde Stele, Shinto, Stone Statue Road stone carvings, etc., are the architectural relics of the Ming Dynasty, maintaining the original shape of the mausoleum. There is architectural authenticity and integrity of spatial arrangement.In particular, the Ming Xiao Mausoleum's "front court and rear dormitory" and the mausoleum system of three courtyards in the front and back reflect the ritual system, but the emphasis is on imperial power and politics.The Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is one of the largest ancient imperial mausoleums in existence. Its mausoleum system not only inherited the Tang and Song Dynasty and previous imperial mausoleums' system of "relying on the mountain as a mausoleum", but also created the mausoleum architecture " The basic pattern of "front and back circle".The regulations on the construction of imperial mausoleums in the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty have been regulating the architectural pattern of more than 500 imperial mausoleums in the Ming and Qing Dynasties for more than 20 years, and have a special status in the history of the development of imperial mausoleums in China.Therefore, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum can be called the first royal mausoleum of Ming and Qing Dynasties.This more than 600-year-old Ming Dynasty royal tomb is famous for its prominent tomb owner, grand scale, unique shape, and beautiful environment with Zhongshan as its back.It is one of the largest mausoleums in China.

The unique design concept, institutional structure, construction scale and artistic achievements of Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum in the development of Chinese imperial mausoleums have profoundly influenced the construction of later imperial mausoleums, and are now distributed in Beijing, Hubei, Hebei and other provinces and cities The imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were all built according to the rules and models of the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty. In this sense, the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is indeed a masterpiece of genius art, and a comprehensive project of the highly mature period of Chinese culture. As a result, it created a new generation of Ming and Qing imperial mausoleums, and has a milestone value and status in the development history of Chinese imperial mausoleums.

The Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum was officially started in the 14th year of Hongwu (1381) and completed in the third year of Yongle (1405), which lasted 25 years.The deployment of 10 military industries has consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, and the scale is huge.At that time, the imperial wall built from Chaoyangmen (now Zhongshanmen) to Xiaolingwei to the west and north of the mausoleum was 45 miles away, and there were more than 5000 troops guarding the mausoleum.At that time, the pavilions and pavilions in the cemetery were connected to each other; the enjoyment hall was filled with smoke, pines and forests, and thousands of long-lived deer were raised.During the crowing of the deer, the momentum was extraordinary.Due to repeated wars and fires, there are only Shenlie Mountain Stele, Dismounting Horse Memorial Archway, Dajinmen, Sifang City and Shengong Duidebei Stele, and 24 Shinto stone beasts of six types: lion, Xièzhì, camel, unicorn, horse and elephant. There are two Shinto stone pillars, and four civil servants and military generals.

The Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is located in an environment with beautiful mountains and clear waters, surrounded by ups and downs of mountains, surrounded by mountains and water, and the humanities and natural landscapes are perfectly integrated.The cemetery is large in scale and rigorous in layout.The Shinto stone carvings in Ming Xiao Mausoleum are the only Chinese imperial tombs that do not form a straight line, but form a curved shape around the Meihua Mountain where Sun Quan's tomb was built in the Three Kingdoms era, resembling the Big Dipper.The Shinto from Xiamafang in Weigang to Wenwufangmen is about 2400 meters long.Xiamafang is the entrance of Xiaoling Mausoleum. It is a stone archway with two pillars. On the forehead, there are six regular script characters "Officials of various departments dismount from horses".Along the Shinto road, there are: Xiamafang, Banyue Monument, Dajinmen, Shengong Shengde Monument Pavilion, Yuqiao, Stone Statue Road, Shiwangzhu, Generals, Wenchen, and Lingxing Gate.Go through the Lingxing gate and turn to the northeast, and you will enter the main part of the cemetery.On the north-south axis facing Dulongfu, there are: Jinshui Bridge, Wenwu Fangmen, Xiaoling Gate, Xiaoling Hall, Neihongmen, Fangcheng Minglou, Baoding and other buildings.The mausoleum buildings are all prepared according to the central axis, reflecting the style of traditional Chinese architecture.

Most of the wooden structures on the ground of Xiaoling Mausoleum were destroyed in the battle between the Qing Army and the Taiping Army in 1853. Now only the Xiamafang, the Banyue Monument, the Neihong Gate, the middle wall of the stele pavilion, the stone statue road, and the lower part of Fangcheng Minglou remain.The layout of the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is magnificent, and the regulations are strict. The mausoleum's Shinto is a precedent and has a long history, which has influenced the Ming and Qing dynasties.The cemetery is 2.62 kilometers deep, and the perimeter of the red wall around it was 22.5 kilometers.If you look down from the air, you can see that the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is in the shape of a dipper!Some people say that this is Zhu Yuanzhang's ingenuity and deliberately breaking the rules to show his imperial spirit of not following the rules and traditions.It is also said that this is to deepen and extend the Shinto, so that it is convenient to place stone men and stone beasts.Others said that when Zhu Yuanzhang was building the Xiaoling Mausoleum, someone suggested that Sun Linggang (now Meihua Mountain) opposite the Xiaoling Mausoleum be dug up to make the tomb path straight.Zhu Yuanzhang thought that Sun Quan was a hero, and thought it would be more majestic for Emperor Sun Quan of the Eastern Wu Dynasty to guard his mausoleum for him.

Later, someone explained Zhu Yuanzhang's practice from the perspective of Feng Shui.As early as when Zhu Yuanzhang was an uprising general of the Peasant Army, he wrote a poem full of vitality: "The sky is a tent and the floor is a blanket. The sun, moon and stars accompany me to sleep. I dare not stretch my legs at night, for fear that the mountains and rivers will be pierced." In line with Zhu Yuanzhang's ambitions, as the founding emperor, since Zhu Yuanzhang had spent all his time choosing a site to build the mausoleum, he would definitely pay more attention to the design of the mausoleum.In the mausoleums of ancient emperors, there were cases where the celestial palace, celestial phenomena, and constellation maps were used, and the intention was to achieve the effect of "harmony between man and nature" and "returning the soul to the Big Dipper". Zhu Yuanzhang especially admired the celestial phenomena, so he designed his tomb as a Big Dipper before his death. The shape of the seven stars, the "spoon head" is the part of the Daoyin Shinto that circles around Meihua Mountain, the "spoon handle" is the part of the mausoleum building that is arranged in a straight line in the north direction, and the "seven stars" on the "spoon head" and "spoon handle" are in order It is Sifang City, Shinto Pillar, Lingxing Gate, Jinshui Bridge, Wenwufang Gate, Xiangdian, and Baocheng.From the plan view, the arrangement of the "Seven Stars" in Xiaoling Mausoleum is the same as that of the "Big Dipper" drawn in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Liao Dynasty and Tang Dynasty.

There are also a group of founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty buried in the back mountain of the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, including the tombs of the famous Zhongshan King Xu Da and Kaiping King Chang Yuchun.According to legend, when Zhu Yuanzhang built the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty, he once said that he lived alone in the Yang of Zhongshan, and his heroes were buried in the Yin of the mountain.Therefore, there are 11 heroic tombs in the Yin of Zijin Mountain.This is like the stars facing the "Big Dipper".According to Feng Shui, Zhu Yuanzhang kept Sun Quan's tomb not just because Sun Quan was a hero like the simple legend, but because Sun Linggang, Meihua Mountain where Sun Quan's tomb is located, is still a "recent case" in paleogeomorphology. In layman's terms, it is like A coffee table.In this way, the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is backed by Zhongshan Mountain, forming an auspicious pattern with its back leaning on the whole and the case in front, the green dragon in the east, the white tiger in the west, the Xuanwu (turtle and snake combined) in the north, and the red bird in the south.Perhaps, Zhu Yuanzhang was satisfied with this.

Liu Xujie, vice president of the Architectural History Society of the Architectural Society of China and professor of architecture at Southeast University, said: "Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum represents the artistic achievement of royal architecture in the early Ming Dynasty, and is the epitome of Chinese mausoleum architecture and mausoleum culture." To Baoding where the underground palace is located, the depth is more than 2600 meters. There are more than 30 buildings and stone carvings of different styles and purposes along the way. The overall layout is grand and orderly. The wisdom of the politicians, artists and architects of the time.

Ming Tomb locks on Tianshou Mountain

Ming Changling Mausoleum is the joint burial mausoleum of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Zuwen Emperor Zhu Di (reign name Yongle) and Empress Xu.Among the Ming Tombs, it has the largest building scale, the earliest construction time, and the most well-preserved ground buildings.It is the ancestral mausoleum in the Ming Tombs and one of the most important tourist attractions in the mausoleum area.The Changling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty is located in the Ming Tombs complex in Tianshou Mountain at the foot of Yanshan Mountain in Changping District, the northwest suburb of Beijing.It is about 50 kilometers away from Beijing.

The Ming Tombs are located in a small basin surrounded by mountains on three sides in the east, west, and north. The area around the tomb is surrounded by mountains, and the central part is a plain. There is a winding river in front of the tomb.The thirteen imperial mausoleums are all built on the mountain, on the foothills of the east, west and north respectively, forming a mausoleum building complex with a complete system, a large scale and a majestic momentum.There are two hills on both sides of the Shinto 6 kilometers in front of the Ming Tombs, "Dragon Mountain" in the east and "Tiger Mountain" in the west, which conforms to the four-spirit orientation pattern of the east green dragon and the west white tiger. Measured by Fengshui theory, Tianshou Mountain The momentum stretches and the "dragon veins" are strong. The mausoleum stands facing south, the main peak stands behind it, surrounded by "sand protection (mountains)" on the left and right, and stretches to the small plain of Beijing in the south, with a broad prospect.The "Ming Tang" (base site) of the mausoleum is flat and wide, with lush vegetation on the mountain and "vigorous" terrain. It is undoubtedly an auspicious soil for the imperial mausoleum.From the Dahongmen all the way to the inside, people can appreciate the effect of the harmony and unity of the buildings of the mausoleums and the majestic mountains.

The Changling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty is the head of the Ming Tombs. It is the "Shou Palace" that was built in the third year (1409) when Emperor Yongle built the Beijing Imperial Palace.The construction of the Changling Mausoleum in the Ming Dynasty was extensive and took a long time to build. The underground palace alone took four years.

The mausoleum palace building of Changling covers an area of ​​about 12 square meters.Its plane layout is in the shape of a front and a rear circle.The square part in front of it is composed of three courtyards connected front and back.The first to enter the courtyard, there is a mausoleum gate in front of it.It is made of a palace-style building with a single eaves on the top of the mountain, with five rooms wide.There is a platform in front of the mausoleum gate, and there are wall-mounted corner gates on the left and right (which have been removed and sealed).In the courtyard, there were five sacred kitchens (on the left) and five sacred warehouses (on the right) in the Ming Dynasty, and a stele pavilion was built before the divine kitchen.Both the divine kitchen and the divine library were destroyed in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, while the stele pavilion has been preserved to this day.

(End of this chapter)