Bo People's hanging coffin

Bo People's hanging coffins are located in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, and distributed in Gongxian, Xingwen, Junlian and other counties. In ancient southern China, Baiyue, Ganyue, Liao and Bo people all had the custom of hanging coffins. The most famous are the Bo People's hanging coffins in southern Sichuan and the boat shaped hanging coffins in Fujian. According to the annals of Gong county, "Gong was born in Bo area, and most of the Bo people hung coffins.". As early as 1956, it was listed as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, and now it is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Bo People's hanging coffins are known as the best in the world and a unique one in Bashu. Hanging coffin burial is a kind of burial system of ancient ethnic minorities. Gongxian and Xingwen, bordering on Yunnan, were the hinterland of ancient Southwest Barbarians. Kaiyelang, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, belonged to Bodao county when Qianwei county was established.

Bo People's hanging coffin

Bo People's hanging coffins are located in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, and distributed in Gongxian County, Xingwen County and Junlian county. According to the annals of Gong county, "Gong was born in Bo area, and most of the Bo people hung coffins.". As early as 1956, it was listed as a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, and now it is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Hanging coffin burial is a kind of burial system of Southwest Minorities in ancient times. Gongxian and Xingwen, bordering on Yunnan, were the hinterland of ancient Southwest Barbarians. Kaiyelang, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, belonged to Bodao county when Qianwei county was established.

Interpretation of Chinese characters

Explanation of "Bo" (B ó)

1. Coercion.

2. Ancient Southwest Minority names. "Bo people" was first seen in the spring and Autumn Annals of the Lu family, which said: "Diqiang, HUTANG, the west of Lishui, Bo people, Yeren, zhangliao, zhouren, Songlong, turen, most of them have no king." In ShuoWenJieZi, it is recorded that "Bo, Qianwei was Bo man.". In the Han Dynasty, there were "Dian Bo" in Yunnan (now the central part of Yunnan), "qiongbo" in qiongdu (now the southwest part of Sichuan), and "Bodao" (Wuchi road of Qin Dynasty). In Yuan Dynasty, "Bo people" were called "Bo Yi".

Hanging coffin

Bo People's hanging coffin

The ancient cliff tombs before Ming Dynasty are the national key cultural relics protection units. Mainly concentrated in matangba and sumawan. It is characterized by placing the coffin of the dead on the cliff. A total of 265 hanging coffins have been preserved, which is the largest and most concentrated place in China. The height of the coffin is generally 10-50 meters from the surface of the earth, and the highest is 100 meters. There are two or three ways to place coffins: one is stake type, that is, to drill two or three holes on the cliff and wedge into the stake to support the coffin; the other is cave type, that is, to chisel horizontal or vertical holes on the cliff to hold the coffin; the third is to use the natural caves and cracks between the cliff to hold the coffin. Coffin wood big tail small, mostly for the whole wood, with buckle and tenon fixed. The burial objects were placed on both sides of the foot. There were ceramic ware, wood and bamboo ware, iron ware and hemp fabrics, among which hemp fabrics were the most, and a small number of silk fabrics. The clan of hanging coffin burial is controversial in academia. The upper limit is unknown, and the lower limit is Ming Dynasty.

Matangba hanging coffin

It is the core part of the Bo People's hanging coffin in Gongxian County. It is located in matangba, southwest of luobiao Town, Gongxian County. The East-West width of the dam is 300 meters to 500 meters, and the North-South length is about 1000 meters. The crab stream flows through the dam. There are 21 rolling cliffs on the East-West Bank of the river, and the hanging coffins are distributed on today's cliffs. There are 223 existing coffins, mainly wooden post hanging coffins. The height of the coffin is generally 20 meters to 60 meters, and the height is more than 100 meters. There are also pile hole relics as dense as bee eyes and more than 200 red painted rock paintings on the cliff. Rock paintings are rich in content, such as riding and shooting, dancing, acrobatics, various animals, weapons, geometric figures, etc. Other hanging coffin remains also have similar rock paintings. Matangba hanging coffins are relatively concentrated in coffin shop, shiziyan, jiudengdeng, Dadongkou, dengjiayan, sanxiandong, zhenzhusan and LAOYINGYAN.

Sumawan hanging coffin

On the North Bank of dengjiahe River, Haitang village, caoying township. There are many ancient fortresses built on the overlapping mountains, and the hanging coffin is located on the rock wall of sumawan. There are 42 hanging coffins in existence, of which 7 are placed on natural caves and rock mounds.

Bo people mainly live in southern Sichuan. Since then, despite the ups and downs, it has always thrived on this land. Bo culture is unique. The mysterious culture represented by the hanging coffin is puzzling though it has lasted for thousands of years. In the Wanli year of 1573 (in the Ming Dynasty), in the days of the smoke spreading, the people were killed and killed by the one hundred and forty thousand army of the Ming Dynasty, and disappeared in history. But those hanging destructed opium coffin people seemed to be telling people about their prosperity and sorrow.

Luobiao matangba and sumawan in Gongxian County are the places where Bo People's hanging coffins are most concentrated. Only on the 4 km deep matangba cliff, there are tens of thousands of coffin pile coffin holes; hundreds of hanging coffins, which are the areas with the most concentrated distribution, the best preservation and the largest number of hanging coffins in the world, are known as the "Museum of natural hanging coffins". Its long history, mysterious legend, mysterious culture and unique burial style are thought-provoking and difficult to understand. At the same time, hundreds of rock paintings made along with the coffin are colorful and lifelike, which vividly represent the natural environment, social production, folk customs and religious beliefs of the Bo people. There is a stone boat on the right. Twenty four hanging coffins and 62 rock paintings are distributed on the limestone cliff shaped like an axe. Rock art has a wide range of subjects and rich contents, such as horse herding, hook fishing, dance, ball play and key kicking entertainment. Although the composition is concise and the lines are rough, it is full of rich flavor of life and distinctive national style. The farthest and tallest are hawk rocks; the 14 hanging coffins are on the cliff more than 110 meters, and are the essence of hanging coffins. The sumawan mountain is towering; the rocks are towering; the river is clear; the mountains and waters are beautiful and charming. On the cliffs more than 50 meters away from the water, there are 50 hanging coffins and a large number of pile holes, giving people a strange and mysterious feeling.

In 1988, the Bo People's hanging coffin was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit. In the same year, Bo People's hanging coffins were exhibited in Beijing, which made the mystery of hanging coffins more fascinating to the audience in the capital. It has been highly praised by the central leadership and people from all walks of life.

Historical records

In Yu Ba Shu Xi, Sima Xiangru of the Han Dynasty said, "the king of Nanyi, the head of Xibo, always served as a tribute, but did not dare to be lazy." Zhang Shoujie said: "today, Yizhou is located in the south, Rongzhou is located in the north, bordering on Dajiang, the ancient state of Bo." Duan Yucai's note: "there is Bodao County, which is now the capital of Xuzhou in Sichuan. Its people are called Bo. Wang Zhi: "in the distance of Ping, Bo is in the West and Ji is in the East." Lu Ciyun of the Qing Dynasty wrote in the records of the fiber of Dongxi, the Bo people: "the Bo people are called twelve battalion commanders, and they can't understand the language of the ghosts and the Yao people, so the interpretation of the Bo people is very important. I'm wearing a felt shirt. There is a sad sound when a woman blows the bamboo strips. On the 24th of June, people worship the heaven to celebrate the lunar new year, and do not beg for fire on the new moon day. Lu Lu is fierce and aggressive. Good Buddha, holding a few beads. If you are good at chanting Buddhist mantras, you should always pray. "

During the Wanli period, the power of Bo people grew stronger and stronger, and the contradiction between them and the central dynasty of Ming Dynasty gradually deepened. According to historical records, the feudal rulers of the Ming Dynasty attacked the Bo people several times. According to historical records, at that time, the Ming Dynasty mobilized troops from Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces to encircle the Bo People's stronghold. It is said that the debate among the Bo people took place in this cave. Hundreds of stronghold owners held their own opinions and discussed here for two days and two nights. At that time, half of the more than 600 Bo People's strongholds chose to surrender to the Ming army. At that time, none of the Bo people who surrendered were spared. The number of people who were slaughtered was almost half of the total number of the tribe. Almost every family of the Bo people had relatives or friends killed.

Mystery of hanging coffin

The Bo people and other ethnic minorities lived in this area, so there are many hanging coffins left. But now the most and concentrated places are matangba in luobiao township of Gongxian County and sumawan in caoying township. Matangba in Gongxian County is long and narrow from north to south, with steep peaks on both sides. Between the steep caves, there are many coffins hanging on the cliffs. There are more than 160 coffins on the cliffs. In sumawan, caoying Township, more than 10 kilometers away from matangba, 48 hanging coffins are distributed on the steep limestone wall. Most of the hanging coffins are 26 to 50 meters above the ground, and the height is up to 100 meters. There are many red painted murals on the cliff of the hanging coffin, which are rich in content, rough in line, concise in composition and vivid in image. Hanging coffins and rock paintings have important historical value and ornamental value, and they are also the material for studying the historical development of ethnic minorities in southern Sichuan. It has become the focus of the world's hanging coffin researchers, and attracts countless tourists. This scenic spot is full of ancient and mysterious colors.

In 1935, a missionary from the United States, Ge Weihan, was very interested in China's rich funeral culture. He found out that there was a very strange funeral custom near Gongxian County, Sichuan Province, so he could not wait to start his own journey. Although the hardships and obstacles along the way almost cost the American his life, when he really came to the edge of the cliff in Gongxian County, he still thought that his trip was worthwhile. Gweihan was stunned by his discovery - this is the hanging coffin. Gongxian's hanging coffins contain almost all types of hanging coffins in the world. This is the first time that Gongxian hanging coffin was discovered in the world, which immediately aroused great interest of scholars. From the 1940s, 1970s, 1980s to the beginning of the 21st century, groups of scientists came here to solve this eternal mystery. Scientists call the tribe in the hanging coffin Bo people, and wonder where these Bo people have gone and why their descendants gave up their funeral habits? How did it die?

At the end of the 20th century, not far from Gongxian County, people found the pingman stele set up by the Ming Dynasty. The handwriting on the stele has been blurred, but the general idea is barely enough

Chinese PinYin : Bo Ren Xuan Guan