There is an old saying in China: "Born in Suzhou and Hangzhou, dead in Beimang". This shows that Beimang is a geomantic treasure land and a suitable place for the deceased to rest. This is not only good for the deceased, but also has many benefits for future generations. The reason why I say this is because the place is opposite the Yellow River. In Feng Shui, it is said that "the mountain is on the back and the river is on the side." This kind of open location symbolizes "broadness of mind" and also means "controlling all things".
It is precisely because of this that the emperors who established their capitals in the Central Plains wanted to be buried in Beimang after their death, in order to achieve their desire to bring blessings to future generations and consolidate the country forever.
Therefore, kings from many dynasties including the Warring States, Qin, Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Tang, Houliang, Southern Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and so on were buried on Mang Mountain. and prominent figures of the time. From the King of Yin, the kings of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty, to Di Renjie, Du Fu, Shi Shouxin, etc., it almost runs through the entire ancient history of China.
Among them, there are five Eastern Han Dynasty imperial mausoleums buried in Beimang, namely: Emperor Guangwu's original mausoleum, Emperor An's Gongling mausoleum, Emperor Shun's Dingling mausoleum, Emperor Chong's Huailing and Emperor Ling's mausoleum. Wen Ling. However, among these five mausoleums, one mausoleum is considered "unconventional", and that is the tomb of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of Han Dynasty. The reason why it is said is that the orientation of its construction violates the construction rules of traditional mausoleums.
Even ordinary people would regard a place with a river in front and a mountain behind as a good place for burial, not to mention the construction of an imperial mausoleum, which requires more attention. But Liu Xiu's mausoleum is close to Mang Mountain in the south and the Yellow River in the north. It is equivalent to "the mountain is in front of the house and the river is behind the house", which is exactly the opposite of the auspicious sign.
Speaking of Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu, he was the ninth grandson of Han Emperor Liu Bang and the son of Liu Qin.
Everyone knows that Emperor Guangwu was diligent in government, loved the people, and governed the country with judo. He was a wise king of England. But why did such an outstanding leader choose to be buried facing south and facing north after his death? It's really puzzling.
In fact, in China, the theory of Feng Shui has been around for a long time. Especially in the construction of imperial tombs, Feng Shui is extremely particular. Site selection, orientation, construction methods, styles, etc. must not be careless. So, why did the founding king of the Eastern Han Dynasty choose a place that goes against Feng Shui to build his mausoleum?
Legend has it that because Liu Xiu’s son was disobedient and always antagonized others, he was a naughty child. Therefore, before he died, he explained his funeral affairs to his son, deliberately telling the truth and asking his son to build his mausoleum on the top of a neighboring mountain after his death. He also said to his son: "As a father, I am destined to be short of water." , after my death, you must bury me in the Yellow River to avoid the pain of thirst. ?
Originally, Liu Xiu thought that his son would do the opposite, but what he didn't expect was that when facing his dying father, his son went out of his way, cried bitterly, and swore: "Son, I am unfilial. I have never listened to my father's words since I was a child. Now, I want to change my past, and I will arrange your funeral in accordance with my father's instructions. When Liu Xiu heard what his son said, he was speechless and could only sigh.
Later, Liu Xiu’s son issued a posthumous edict to recruit skilled craftsmen from all over the world to build the dragon boat spiritual hub. After the burial, the Lingshu was thrown into the rushing Yellow River. But strangely, the river suddenly roared and rolled towards the north. Then, the place where the coffin landed instantly turned into a flat ground, and a hillock rose from the ground. It is said that although the original mausoleum is located on the Yellow River beach, it has never been flooded even by the Yellow River floods for many years.
In fact, the original mausoleum is not only unique in its orientation and construction, but its internal design is also very simple, and it is said to be "three wonders".
The first wonder is the wonder of the cypress trees:
Although the location of Emperor Guangwu's mausoleum is different from usual, its surrounding environment is still very good, with Mang Mountain to the south and the Yellow River to the north. It is a beautiful place with lush greenery. Moreover, there are 1,500 ancient cypresses in the park, making the entire cemetery surrounded by lush green pines and cypresses, upright and solemn. In addition, in front of the mausoleum, there is a dome tablet with the words "Mausoleum of Emperor Guangwu, the founder of Zhongxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty" engraved on it.
On both sides of the corridor in front of the palace, 28 giant cypresses are planted, which are mainly used to symbolize the 28 Yuntai generals who assisted Liu Xiu in conquering the world and setting the course of the society. They are commonly known as the Twenty-Eight Su Cypresses. Not only that, the types of these cypress trees are also very unique. They are the "birdsong cypress" and the "bitter love cypress", which are unique among cypress trees. When people clap their hands under the "birdsong cypress", the treetops will make the sound of birdsong.
The second wonder is the Xiaoyan in the Han Mausoleum:
According to relevant records, around the Qingming Festival every year, when the weather is fine, a misty purple sky will rise in the cemetery. The air, as light as floating clouds, floated slowly from west to east, gradually covering the entire cemetery. There is also a local saying that the year when such a purple sky appears, the crops will be good. Even in modern times, every March in spring, before the Qingming Festival, people look forward to the rising of purple smoke and pray for a good harvest.
The third wonder is that the Emperor of Han is lying on his back:
Every autumn when the leaves fall, people stand 300 meters to the west of the original mausoleum and look eastward. The entire original mausoleum looks like Liu Xiu Lie there on your back. He wore a crown on his head and a dragon robe, with the Yellow River as his pillow and the Beiman Mountain under his feet. In this landscape, Liu Xiu is 240 meters long, and his head is made of ancient cypresses from the north of the mausoleum. He is 50 meters tall. His face has a concave and convex shape, and even his facial features and beard look very clear. The breeze blows and the cypress branches dance, just like Liu Xiu's beard is fluttering, which is very strange.
If you have the opportunity, friends must see it with your own eyes and marvel at the unique structure of the original mausoleum building. Although Liu Xiu did not want his tomb to be too luxurious, his later generations still built it very grandly, which inevitably attracted the attention of tomb robbers.
In fact, in addition to the above three wonders, there is also a legend about the "cash dragon in the tomb" in Yuanling, which is widely circulated.
It is said that at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a tomb robber came to Mangshan and wanted to sneak into Liu Xiu's tomb to steal the treasures. After much prying, he learned that by going to Xie's Mill and buying a silk basket, he could find someone to help open Liu Xiu's tomb. The tomb robber spent all his savings to buy a silk basket. He hung the silk basket on the bluestone tomb door, and then he heard a loud noise and the tomb door slowly opened.
After that, the tomb robber carefully walked into the tomb, but to his surprise, he saw Liu Xiuzheng sitting under the lamp reading a book. Liu Xiu heard the noise and looked up to see the thief. Then, he yelled at the tomb robber, scaring the thief and running out. However, as the saying goes, a thief never escapes empty-handed. When the tomb robber ran away, he also took away a burial box in the tomb.
After the thief escaped from the tomb, he found a secluded place and secretly opened the brocade box to see what treasures were inside. However, what he didn't expect was that the moment the brocade box was opened, a golden dragon flew out of the box. At this time, heavy rain poured down from the sky. The golden dragon hovered in the sky for a moment, then flew into the sky and disappeared.
This scene shocked the tomb robber and scared him out of his wits. After that, every time he talked about it with others, he still had lingering fears. From then on, no one dared to dig up the original tomb.
The stolen brocade box was also recognized as a burial object during the resale process and was taken into custody by the government. In fact, there are quite a few such legends, which add a sense of mystery to Yuanling. But in fact, these legends failed to stop the thieves. The most serious excavation of the original tomb was that of Dong Zhuo.