The Song Dynasty was rich in wealth, but the emperor's mausoleum was quite shabby, so why did the tomb robbers disdain it?
The Song Dynasty is considered to be a prosperous and powerful period in Chinese history, but there is a surprising mystery – although the tombs of the Song emperors were very wealthy, their tombs were mostly overlooked and rarely visited by tomb robbers. This apparent contradiction has sparked curiosity about the uniqueness of the tombs of the Song Dynasty emperors.
In this fascinating story, we will explore the mystery of the dilapidated tombs of the Song Dynasty emperors and uncover untold historical secrets. Why is the architecture of the Song Tombs not so luxurious? Why aren't gravebuilders interested here?
It may contain historical culture and imperial wisdom. In the fog of history, let's uncover the mysteries of the tombs of the emperors of the Song Dynasty and search for unknown secrets that shocked tomb robbers.
The deep meaning of the simple mausoleum.
The imperial tombs of the Song Dynasty are mainly distributed in Luoyang, Kaifeng and Gongyi in Henan. Despite the ravages of time and war, they still show people the unique funeral culture of the Song Dynasty.
Located at the foot of Songshan Mountain in the south of Gongyi City, the Zhao Mausoleum of Yongshou Song Shenzong is one of the most important mausoleums among the tombs of Chinese emperors. However, standing on the 18-meter-high mausoleum, only a narrow platform of about 300 square meters can be seen, which is in stark contrast to the towering mausoleum of Zhao Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty. Not only Yongshou Mausoleum, but almost all Song Tombs are built in a simple style, and most of the ground buildings are composed of a limited number of elements, such as platforms, pavilions with stone tablets and stone ornaments.
This kind"The four people live in peace, the country of love"The gloomy scene seems to belong to the Song Dynasty, but it does not correspond to the situation at that time. The philosophy of science promoted by the Song Dynasty played a key role. Emphasizing salvation and opposing luxury, the science believed that mausoleums would not only consume social wealth, but would also be plundered and excavated. Therefore, starting from Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu of the Song Dynasty, the emperors of the Song Dynasty began to implement a frugal funeral policy, and their mausoleums gradually evolved from the emperors of the Tang Dynasty to the tombs of the scholars of the Song Dynasty"The Great Wall of China sends white bones"、"A beautiful burial is not important, and death is the same life"A kind of momentum is formed in the simplicity.
The origins of rational thought can be traced back to before the Qin Dynasty and developed rapidly with the rise of writing in the Song Dynasty. Scholars interpret Taoism"Neutralization"Thoughts, emphasized"Preserve the principles of heaven and destroy people's desires"The importance of the matter. They attacked the extravagance of society and called for simplicity to curb human desires. This idea strongly influenced the Song emperors, who also adopted a restrained attitude during funeral ceremonies. Perhaps it was this austere way of life that encouraged the Song people to pursue a richer spiritual pursuit.
A helpless choice in turbulent times.
The frequent wars in the Song Dynasty were inseparable from the changes in the concept of funeral, and also affected the construction of the imperial tombs. From the Taizu period to the beginning of the reign at the southern foot of Yuewang Mountain, the imperial power of the Song Dynasty can be described as dilapidated. Although there was a brief period of prosperity, after the Jin soldiers invaded the south at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, they lost the hinterland of the Central Plains, and after the Southern Song Dynasty, the territory shrank, wars were frequent, and the imperial power declined.
Due to wars and national disasters, the emperors of the past dynasties have no time to build mausoleums, and the mausoleum of Zhao Ji of Song Huizong illustrates this helplessness. After the martyrdom of Jingkang, Zhao Ji was escorted to Jibei and finally died in a foreign country. It was not until the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty that the last emperor Zhao Yu moved Zhao Ji's mausoleum to Henan, and this humble mound became one of the most solemn imperial tombs in the Southern Song Dynasty.
The turbulent situation prevented many emperors from building mausoleums, but also made it difficult for those that had already been built to be destroyed. The mausoleums of Taizu and Taizong were located in the northern hinterland, and after the Jin soldiers invaded the Central Plains, these tombs were severely damaged and looted. Today, Gongyi still retains some architectural remains, but the interior of the Taizu Zhiren Mausoleum has been almost completely destroyed.
The wars between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Jin and Western Xia led to a long period of turmoil in the imperial power of the Song Dynasty. During the time of Taizong, the national strength was still able to support the extravagance of the imperial tomb, but since the beginning of Shenzong, the imperial power has gradually weakened. During the period of Zhezong and Huizong, political chaos and extravagance prevailed, and the Song Dynasty was already in decline. Jin Guo finally seized the opportunity and dealt a fatal blow to the Northern Song Dynasty. The emperor of the Song Dynasty had no choice but to leave the capital and the ancestral tomb, cross the border to the south, and survive in the cramped land.
The decline of the Song Dynasty imperial tombs reflected the desperation of the time. Generations of emperors could only devote their limited resources to the survival of the country and the well-being of the people, but not to their own isolated mausoleums. Worrying about the fate of the mausoleum while mourning the survival of the people is a phenomenon that rationalists relocate. The mourning of the living is far more important than the sacrifice of the dead. This also inspired the Southern Song Dynasty Li Zong to propose"Do nothing"Thought.
The best choice for modest mausoleums.
The architecture of the Song Dynasty tombs was simple, small in scale, and there were not many burial items, which made it less attractive for thieves to break into the tombs. While the tombs of the Song emperors in the north were excavated and destroyed in successive wars, the tombs of the Southern Song emperors largely did not suffer a similar fate. To date, eight of the twelve tombs of the Southern Song emperors have been largely preserved and have not been vandalized, which is a testament to the benefits of low visibility.
The imperial tombs of the Southern Song Dynasty have been preserved to this day, which is a miracle in Chinese history. In contrast, the tombs of many other emperors have been damaged and excavated. This suggests that Song Ling's unpretentious and minimalist style became the key to its survival.
They have neither covetous treasures nor ruined splendour. As one scholar commented:"The imperial tombs of the Southern Song Dynasty were not destroyed because they were mediocre and neglected from the beginning"。
Throughout the ages, tomb robbers have loved to dig up imperial tombs for huge profits and countless treasures. These notorious large imperial tombs are vulnerable to destruction and excavation. However, the mausoleums of the Southern Song Dynasty have escaped these scourges because of their simplicity and simplicity, and they have been preserved intact to this day. This is undoubtedly a satire of history.
Compared with the national strength of the Song Dynasty, the most famous in the history of our country, the scale of the imperial mausoleum is indeed smaller. However, in these simple mausoleums, we see not only the building itself, but also a simple philosophy of life, a deep historical melancholy and a small happiness of a thousand years of tranquility.
Perhaps it is the combination of these three elements that gives the mausoleum in the poem its historical value beyond appearance. The philosophical contemplation beneath the sleek exterior, the emperor's desperation in a turbulent environment, and the miracle of escaping excavations and thefts make up the unique image of the Song Dynasty imperial tombs.
They did not pursue sensuality and luxury like other dynasties, but embodied the temperament of the literati in simplicity. This unpretentious gesture is similar to the temperament of the Song people and reflects the culture of the Song Dynasty. The preservation of the Song Tomb allows us to see the thoughts and emotions of the people of an era that has been broken by great changes.
History doesn't have to be recorded in ornate and extravagant architecture, and sometimes a simple tombstone can shake its unique aura. These humble tombs can be the gateway to the spiritual excesses of the time.