Everyone knows that Guo Moruo is a controversial writer, but in fact, he has another identity - a historian. On the path of dreaming of becoming a great historian, he insisted that history should be found in ancient tombs, a prescient view. However, his actions in the archaeological community have become a point of contention, especially during the opening of the Dingling Tomb, which led to the destruction of a large number of cultural relics. Although his original intention may be related to his family history, he has left a painful mark on the history of archaeology and has also left a profound lesson for us. Guo Moruo's belief that history should be found in ancient tombs was quite prescient at the time. He believes that history books are not enough to understand history exactly, and that some physical evidence is needed, and these physical evidence are cultural relics. History needs archaeology, and archaeologists need to find the truth from ancient tombs. The advanced nature of this view was not fully recognized at the time, but its essence did have a significant impact on later historical research. Guo Moruo's original intention was not just to open the Dingling, but a more ambitious plan.
His initial target was the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, Zhu Di, and Wu Zetian, because he wanted to learn more about what treasures were in these ancient tombs. However, this plan was not fully accepted at the time, because even experts knew that the tombs of ancient emperors contained the most artifacts, and that opening them at will would lead to irreparable losses. The opening of the tomb led to the destruction of a large number of cultural relics, especially some silk cultural relics, which had not been so well preserved before this. This failure not only led to the state's ban on excavating the emperor's tomb again, but also made Guo Moruo leave a painful mark in the history of archaeology. This incident also became a major mistake in the history of archaeology, and a wake-up call for future generations, reminding us not to take archaeological activities lightly. In recent years, some experts have made an interesting point that the reason why Guo Moruo is so focused on excavating imperial tombs, especially the tombs of Ming emperors, may have something to do with his family history.
According to relevant experts, Guo Moruo is likely to be a descendant of Guo Zixing, and Guo Zixing is a close confidant of Zhu Yuanzhang and has made great contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. This view allows people to understand Guo Moruo's passion for archaeology from another perspective, and it also makes people think about his motives. Guo Moruo's story tells us that the search and protection of history need to be treated with caution, and archaeologists need to protect cultural relics and monuments while pursuing the truth to avoid irreparable losses caused by negligence. His experience also reminds us that on the path of human civilization, we need to respect history, respect cultural relics, act cautiously, and always put protection first. During the Ming Dynasty, Guo Zixing was destroyed by Zhu Yuanzhang, but his son Guo Laoshe survived and may have become Guo Moruo's ancestor. Some people think that Guo Moruo's excavation of the tomb of the Ming emperor may have been done to avenge himself, but this move has had a negative impact. Guo Moruo has left a profound impact in the fields of literature and history, but his actions in the field of archaeology have become a major historical mistake.
This incident reminds us that we must be cautious in the pursuit of knowledge to avoid irreparable losses caused by negligence.