There was such a special profession in ancient times. They were generally passed down from generation to generation, and they lived a leisurely life with the fixed salary of the imperial court, and they were also very honorable. They were the tomb guardians who guarded the royal tombs.
It is said that after the feudal era ended, the profession of the tomb guardian should disappear. But what is strange is that more than a hundred years have passed since the demise of , the Qing Dynasty’s imperial tombs is still under the control of many people, so what are their identities? Who will pay them a salary?
The tomb guardians in the Qing Dynasty
In ancient times, many emperors attached great importance to their funerals. In order to continue to enjoy the rich life before their death, they often planned the construction of tombs early in their lifetime. sometimes even spent huge amounts of money just to build a grand imperial tomb. There are usually many rare treasures in the imperial tombs as burial objects, which will also arouse the covetousness of many tomb robbers. In order to prevent the imperial tomb from being destroyed and robbed by those who are interested, the profession of the tomb guardian was born.
The people who guarded the tombs are often a specific village or family. They will live near the tombs in the era to guard the royal tombs. Generally speaking, the tomb guardian is a hereditary profession. Although he has to be a companion to the dead in the wilderness all day long, it is at least a stable imperial grain, and it also gives the royal tomb guarding the royal family a sense of honor.
The work of the tomb guardians is not only to guard the tomb and maintain the tomb environment during the regular period, when the emperor goes to the tomb to worship his ancestors every year, the tomb guardians will also be responsible for reception and arrangement of sacrifices for sacrifices. The Qing Dynasty had a complete system of tomb guarding, and the tomb guarding people were mainly divided into three categories. The first category is the hereditary tomb guardians, the second category is the Eight Banners tomb guardians, and the third category is the official tomb guardians.
The hereditary tomb guards are the people who have lived around the tombs for generations. This type of tomb guards is the one who has passed away from the father to the son. Generally, they have to shine next to the tomb for the rest of their lives, dedicate themselves to complete the mission of tomb guarding. Generally speaking, the hereditary tomb guards have a relatively low grade, but their work is easy, their treatment is good, and their life will be relatively good.
Eight Banners tomb guardians are relatively glorious types of tomb guardians. At that time, only those who were above the Three Banners could be selected as the tomb guardian. The general rank was the seventh rank, and the court would pay wages according to the level. The tomb guards like do not belong to ordinary people, but rather to be a kind of honor training. And there is also the opportunity to be transferred back to the capital to work, which is a good match.
Officials are more miserable. They usually make mistakes and are sent to guard the tomb next to the tomb. Although their grade is a higher third grade, , usually coming here means the end of their political career and is a punitive work. But overall, the job of guarding the tomb is both easy and good, and in addition to making people feel lonely, it is a good job.
The tomb guardians during the turbulence
If the Qing Dynasty could exist forever, then the tomb guardians could live a leisurely and nourishing life forever, but unfortunately, the trend of history is always moving forward.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the court was corrupt, the treasury was deficient, and years of war with foreigners and various domestic unrest, the court's rule was already in a storm, and The treatment of the tomb guardians was not as good as before. After the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, these tomb guardians completely lost their livelihood.
When the Qing Dynasty just fell, according to the preferential treatment regulations for the Qing court, many tomb guardians still retained the imperial tombs. But later, Puyi and insisted on restoring the country, and they completely broke up with the government of the Republic of China. The government of the Republic of China took advantage of the situation to stop the wages of the tomb guardians of the imperial tombs, and at this time Puyi was unable to protect himself and could not afford to pay the wages of the tomb guardians. The luxuriant tomb guards in the past could only make a living by themselves, but they who have been guarding the tomb for generations can't do farm work, so they can only stay with the little property left by their ancestors.
After eating the property, some of the tomb guards had bad thoughts about the treasures in the imperial tomb. The Qing Dynasty was destroyed and the emperor was gone. There were so many treasures in the tombs that were not taken for nothing, so many people guarding the tombs started to steal the prison. Some people who really can't bear to steal can only go out to find a livelihood. In this way, many imperial tombs are completely unprotected.
1928, Sun Dianying forced himself into the Eastern Qing Tomb on the grounds of military exercises, and there were many treasures and cultural relics buried here. The only remaining tomb guards here are unable to stop Sun Dianying's atrocities, so they could only watch Sun Dianying explode the tomb and steal countless treasures.
In addition to the stolen treasures, Sun Dianying also made the tomb a mess. Even Qianlong's body was thrown out of the coffin, and many bones and teeth were broken. When the tomb guardian later cleaned up the mess, he could no longer recognize that one of the bodies that was Qianlong. It is really a pity that the former prosperous emperor was treated like this after his death.
culture inheritors of the new era
After the founding of New China, in order to protect cultural heritage, the government repaired and maintained the imperial tombs left by the Qing Dynasty, and the chaotic situation that was unattended also changed.
Imperial Mausoleum was established as a key protection unit, and the tomb guardians who had struggled to survive also received state subsidies. After the reform and opening up, the country increased its attention and management of cultural relics. The state appointed many formal personnel to guard the tombs, and they became the new era tomb guardians who received the state's salary.
In addition to the state civil servants, there are still many descendants of the former tomb guarding the tombs. Their work is not only to guard a royal tomb, but more to protect cultural relics and cultural heritage.
Many imperial tombs have been developed into tourist attractions. Today, the tomb guards are responsible for repairing and managing cultural relics, and they also turn into tour guides and tour guides to tell tourists about the history and culture of an era. The royal tomb once belonged to the emperor only, but now it belongs to each of us Chinese . It is not only a cultural relic, but also a cultural carrier.
The past hardships of the tomb guards ushered in spring in the new era. Although their current work is still guarding the tomb, it has changed its nature. was previously responsible for guarding the tombs of the emperor, and now he is a cultural inheritor living in a society in the new era.
Conclusion
How many years have passed since ancient times, and they all flow eastward like water to form clouds and smoke. Many emperors once had great enthusiasm, guided the country and created huge tombs to be remembered forever by future generations, but now they have all turned into dust of history.
Every emperor was extremely glorious and had a noble status during his lifetime, but what future generations remembered would not be their status and glory during his lifetime, but the cultural heritage and civilized spirit left behind by that era.
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