In the ninth year of Emperor Chongzhen's reign (1636), in a village in Panyu District, Guangzhou, China, it rained for many consecutive days. One day, a large bolt of lightning struck the ground, creating a loud explosion. After that, the rain stopped completely. The villagers came out to see, and saw a large hole in the ground.
Some people were brave enough to climb down and discovered a very large ancient tomb below. Inside they found many antiques made of gold, silver, jade and rare materials. They also found two golden statues dressed like emperors, and underneath were placed 24 silver statues, including 12 civil and 12 military mandarins.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the rumor spread, the villagers and outsiders rushed in to fight and snatch the treasure. Some people arrived late and could not find anything, so they took out the body of the owner of the ancient tomb to vent their anger. After robbing everything inside, the tomb was abandoned without mercy.
Until 1966, the mausoleum was also used as an air raid shelter. Today, the villagers use the tomb as a place to raise livestock for the village.
The ancient emperor's tomb, after being stripped of its treasures, was converted into a livestock farm. (Photo: Sohu)
It was not until 2003 that the Guangzhou government decided to survey the cultural relics in the area to expand the Panyu District planning. A group of archaeologists went all over the district to search. Thanks to the guidance of the villagers, they found the ancient tomb.
When the archaeological team arrived, the only remaining stone stele of the ancient tomb was the one engraved with the words "Emperor Gaozu of the Great Emperor Ai Sach Wen". Based on the name and the inscription, this was the tomb of Emperor Gaozu of the Southern Han Dynasty - Liu Yan. He was the first emperor of the Southern Han Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
According to ancient documents, Liu Yan was extremely tyrannical and cruel at the end of his life. He often used cruel punishments such as dismembering and releasing poisonous snakes to bite prisoners to amuse himself. In addition, Liu Yan also ordered his soldiers to plunder all the gold and silver of the people to cast statues and make jewelry to use as funerary objects to place in his tomb after his death. Therefore, the people of that time deeply resented this emperor.
Villagers in the area where King Liu Yan's tomb was discovered expressed their disgust with him after hearing the news. Experts have restored the tomb and recognized it as a national cultural relic.
Quoc Thai (Source: Sohu)
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