We must use our wit. Otherwise, no matter how we win people's favor, we are in danger of unconsciously losing that favor in the same way. — Goethe
Five thousand years of development history, five thousand years of civilization process. For five thousand years, the times have continued to progress, and the vicissitudes of the sea have been vicissitudes. The wealth we have created, the history that we have most precious, and the culture that belongs exclusively to the Chinese nation have become the treasures of the world's national cultures. Times are changing, but our original intention to explore history has never changed.
After the archaeologists opened the coffin of The Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu, a strange phenomenon occurred: after the coffin was opened, people found that a small cloth bag was placed on the chest of the female corpse, and when the archaeologists opened the cloth bag, they were very surprised by what was inside. What exactly is in this cloth bag? What kind of secrets does it hide?
Find out the truth
In August 1980, the Jiangxi Provincial Archaeological Team inspected the coffin of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu. After opening the coffin, the archaeologists found that the body of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu had decayed, so we had no way to see the original appearance of the body. Unlike the other morticians, Princess Li Yinggu's state was very rare: her head and body were wrapped in white strips of cloth, similar to those of previous mummies. After wrapping the body in a white strip of cloth, the body wore 7 more pieces of clothing.
Although the appearance of Princess Li Yinggu is unrecognizable, her hair is still intact. As a person who enjoyed the glory and wealth before she was born, The Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu must also be very beautiful after her death. She had two silver hairpins on her head and a bronze mirror on her side. For Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu, in the past, her most precious appearance, even if she died, she still had to pay attention to her own appearance.
The funeral jewelry of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu is also very luxurious. Jade pendants, jade buckle flowers, jade rings, phoenix crowns and so on. Gold, silver, and jade are all announcing to the people of her time and future generations that she is the happiest person who has loved her in one. Although these excavated funerary items are very precious, what really attracts archaeologists is another mysterious existence.
At the same time, the archaeologists also made an unexpected discovery: there was a small cloth bag on the body of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu, and the position of this small cloth bag seemed to be quite exquisite, just placed on the chest of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu.
Compared with the gorgeous clothes and luxurious funerary goods, this small cloth bag is very ordinary, even slightly shabby. Why did this small cloth bag appear in the coffin of Concubine Li Yinggu? What are the hidden secrets?
Truth
The archaeologists were very curious about the contents of this small cloth bag, so they carefully opened it. And when people see what's in it, they're really scratching their heads. It turned out that this small cloth bag was not a rare treasure, but some paper money and a road guide. Of course, this is not an ordinary road guide, but a road guide on Huangquan Road. Such things are not uncommon when the deceased is buried, and usually, people put paper money and road guides in the coffin, which is equivalent to the travel expenses and introduction letters after the deceased enters the Yin Cao Mansion.
Although the body of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu had decayed, what was preserved in this small cloth bag was intact. This guide is a piece of paper, and when taken out of a small cloth bag, it is still new, not even a trace of yellowing, there is no trace of history at all. The 0.69-meter-long and 0.55-meter-wide paper is engraved with the basic information of Princess Li Yinggu, including her name, place of birth, date of birth and date of death, which is very detailed.
The so-called road guide must have official certification. The sign is stamped on top of the guide, and at the same time, there are Taoist symbols in specific places of the guide. In the upper left of the road guide, the head of Taishang Laojun is impressively listed. There is no doubt that in this road guide, the role of Taoism in it cannot be ignored.
In the eyes of many people, the contents of this small cloth bag are just very ordinary funerary objects, so they have no value. For archaeologists, however, this is a huge discovery. Through this small cloth bag, we can travel through a hundred years of time to understand the funeral customs of the Ming Dynasty. For the Chinese archaeological community, the value of this small cloth bag in the tomb of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu is priceless.
Impressed
In the tomb of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu, the road guide in this small cloth bag is paper, but it is clean as new after a hundred years of time. In a hundred years, it is not easy to save a piece of paper, let alone in the dark and damp underground. Even the body of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu had decayed and could not be distinguished, but the road guide in this small cloth bag was still intact. For the archaeological community, the preservation of this guide can even be called a miracle.
The reason why Lu Yin has many Taoist elements is actually related to the life and beliefs of that era. In ancient times, if a person was a faithful believer in Taoism during his lifetime, after death they were given a path guide issued by Taoism, that is, a pass to hades.
In the eyes of those who believe in Taoism, after death they come to the underworld, the guidance of Taoism will be beneficial to them, so the road guide issued by Taoism has also become a necessary funerary item for those who believe in Taoism. For some people, they can have no funeral money, they can have no luxurious funeral goods, but they cannot lack a Taoist element of the road guide.
This small cloth bag in the tomb of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu shows that she was a loyal Taoist believer before her death, and this custom of using the road to accompany the burial of Taoist believers also began to become a social trend in the Ming Dynasty.
Before the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the development of Taoism was good. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, it mainly inherited the Taoist traditions of the Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, and during the Wanli Period, the development of Daozang played a huge role in the spread of Taoism. Ming Shizong was a fanatical pursuer of Taoism, and he attached great importance to Taoist culture, and all sectors of society also attached great importance to Taoists. During the Ming Dynasty, Because of the beliefs of the rulers, Taoism had a broad foundation in society, and the relationship between Taoism and the royal family was particularly inseparable.
Enjoying all the glory and wealth before she was born, and enjoying the mourning after her death, for the Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu, her life was beautiful and complete. The discovery of the ancient tomb of Yuan Concubine Li Yinggu also made great contributions to the archaeology of the Ming Dynasty on the mainland. A magical little cloth bag, a magical road guide, a popular funeral custom, an unknown history... Archaeology is such a process of searching for the truth, but it is also a process of continuous discovery and progress. The excavation of the ancient tomb of Yuan Fei Li Yinggu is worthwhile and fruitful.
Exploring history and pursuing the past, we are also devout believers.