On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising broke out in Hubei, officially sounding the clarion call for the demise of the Qing Dynasty. In just two months, fifteen provinces including Hunan and Guangdong announced their independence from the Qing government.

The Qing Dynasty has been destroyed for 111 years. Why are there still people guarding the imperial tombs? Who will pay the salary?

On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising in Hubei broke out, officially sounding the clarion call for the destruction of the Qing Dynasty. In just two months, fifteen provinces including Hunan and Guangdong announced their independence from the Qing government.

On February 12, 1912, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, was forced to officially issue an abdication edict and announced his abdication. At this point, China's feudal rule that lasted for more than two thousand years ended and entered the Republic of China.

To this day, the Qing Dynasty has been invaded for 111 years, but near the Qing Dynasty’s imperial tombs, there are still some tomb guardians who have not left, and they have even stayed in the local area and taken root and lived.

After this news came out, the people in China were very shocked and speculated that the purpose of these tomb guardians to continue to guard the tomb was for gold, silver and jewelry? Or to fulfill the responsibility of the ancestors to guard the tomb?

So why have these tomb guardians continued to stick to this day? What is their real identity?

On February 12, 1912, Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, officially announced his abdication, and the Qing Dynasty, which had ruled China for more than two hundred years, officially perished.

After this news came out, it might be a good thing for others, but for these tomb guards who received monthly salary in the Qing Dynasty, it was a disaster that ruined the world because of losing this iron rice bowl of ancestral origin.

Although the Republic of China government agreed at that time that even after the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, it would continue to bear the expenses of the tomb guardians of the Qing Dynasty, it would never be possible to go back to the past. Not only was the salary low, but it was common for arrears to pay.

So some of the tomb guards in high positions chose to leave and seek a way out in the new regime, while the tomb guards without any skills began to try to clear land nearby and work to make a living.

The tomb guards are carefully selected bannermen

The imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty are divided into the Eastern Qing Tombs and The Western Qing Tombs . It is the place where the emperor, queen and royal members are buried. It is also the most advanced forbidden place in the Qing Dynasty at that time. Most people have no way to get close to it.

Not only that, even the tomb guards inside have been screened and selected loyal and reliable bannermen. Even the offices of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other government agencies in the mausoleum area are set up to be responsible for various matters in the mausoleum area.

At that time, guarding the tombs in the imperial tombs was a hot feat, and many bannermen broke their heads and rushed to go. Because as long as you become the hereditary profession of the tomb guardian, your descendants will not have to worry about it. Everyone can get a country's iron rice bowl and you don't have to do anything, you will get a salary.

However, the Qing Dynasty was also very strict in the management of those guarding the tombs, and they could not leave the guards' imperial tombs at will. If you leave privately, you will face serious punishment.

So after the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, will there be people who continue to guard the tombs?

This is because the ancestors of these tomb guards all lived near the imperial tombs. Coupled with long-term pampering and various restrictions, these tomb guards do not have too many life skills, and it is difficult for them to make a living out at once. Therefore, many tomb guards choose to stay and open up land nearby and work to make a living.

Now we go to the villages near the Eastern Qing Tombs and the Western Qing Tombs, where the descendants of the former tomb guardians live. In the 1980s, the domestic tourism industry began to develop, and the Qing Eastern Tombs and the Qing Western Tombs became scenic spots. With the arrival of a large number of tourists, the nearby tomb guards and villages became richer, and their lives were better than those in many places.

Nowadays, the descendants of the tomb guardians no longer guardians, and they live a life like ordinary people.