Looting of the Eastern Mausoleum
Encyclopedia
The Looting of the Eastern Mausoleum was an incident in which some of the major mausoleums of the Qing Dynasty
in the Eastern Qing Tombs
were looted by troops under the command of the warlord Sun Dianying
.
led his army into the Eastern Mausoleums of the Qing Dynasty
in Malanyu
, West northwest of Zunhua, Hebei
Province. This was the final resting place of the Qing emperors and empresses, that lay about 120 kilometers from the Forbidden City
in Beijing. The 78 square-kilometer burial site was for five emperors, 15 empresses and 136 imperial concubines within 15 tombs, including the first Qing emperor Shunzhi (1638–1661), China's longest reigning emperor Kangxi (1654–1722), China's most long-lived emperor Qianlong (1711–1799), and the infamous, powerful empress Cixi
(1835–1908).
had quietly occupied Malanyu. Sun Dianying, ordered Tan Wenjiang, one of his Division commanders to capture the tomb area. At dawn on July 2, Ma Futian was driven away and Tan's army looted the mausoleums in Malanyu. After that, Sun's army went straight to the area of the Eastern Qing Tombs, pretending to engage in war exercises in the area. Tan Wenjiang placed policemen all around, denying access to the area and signs declared the army was "protecting the Tombs" to prevent interference.
The looting
operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Then Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves. Finally, ordinary soldiers were allowed to take the leftovers.
The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Ci Xi, such as jadeite
watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral. They even grabbed objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her under clothing, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body. They even pried open Ci Xi's jaws and took the scarce pearl from her mouth. Finally they looted the objects under the coffin which had been favorites of Ci Xi when she was alive.
While Tan Wenjiang was robbing Ci Xi's tomb, Han Dabao, Brigade Commander under Sun Dianying led another group to Yuling Mausoleum and declared his intention to conduct a war exercise. They blew the entrance and doorways of the underground palace, rushed into the tomb. The coffins of Emperor Qian Long and his two empresses and three concubines were pried open, all the valuables looted and the skeletons thrown into the mud. The soldiers then rushed to Yuling Mausoleum and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling and looted what they could.
Newspapers reported the grave robbing and the news spread throughout China and around the world. People were outraged. Emperor Aisin-Gioro, who had dismissed Sun from his post, sent telegrams to Chiang Kai-shek
; Yan Xishan
, Commander of Garrison Force in Beijing; the Central Committee of Kuomintang, and local newspapers asking them to punish Sun Dianying severely. Many others also called for punishment. However, Sun Dianying bribed
those who were in a position to discipline him and nothing was done.
After removing the treasures from the graves, Sun and his army sealed the empty chambers with stones. They carted off some of China's greatest treasures, but some things couldn't be easily removed, and the imposing buildings of the mausoleum still survive.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in the Eastern Qing Tombs
Eastern Qing Tombs
The Eastern Qing Tombs are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing Dynasty located in Zunhua, 125 kilometers northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China...
were looted by troops under the command of the warlord Sun Dianying
Sun Dianying
Sun Diangying was one of the minor warlords during the Warlord Era.-Biography:...
.
Background
In the pre-dawn hours of July 8, 1928, the warlord Sun DianyingSun Dianying
Sun Diangying was one of the minor warlords during the Warlord Era.-Biography:...
led his army into the Eastern Mausoleums of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in Malanyu
Malanyu
Malanyu is a town approximately west of the city of Zunhua, Hebei, China, which administrates the town. It is the location of the final resting place of some of the Qing emperors and empresses....
, West northwest of Zunhua, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
Province. This was the final resting place of the Qing emperors and empresses, that lay about 120 kilometers from the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
in Beijing. The 78 square-kilometer burial site was for five emperors, 15 empresses and 136 imperial concubines within 15 tombs, including the first Qing emperor Shunzhi (1638–1661), China's longest reigning emperor Kangxi (1654–1722), China's most long-lived emperor Qianlong (1711–1799), and the infamous, powerful empress Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
(1835–1908).
Looting operation
On June 12 of 1928, Sun Dianying, ordered a large scale grave robbing operation that removed almost all the underground funeral objects of the Huifeiling and Yuling Mausoleums and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling. Ma Futian, Regimental Commander in the 28th Army of Zhang ZuolinZhang Zuolin
Zhang Zuolin was the warlord of Manchuria from 1916 to 1928 . He successfully invaded China proper in October 1924 in the Second Zhili-Fengtian War. He gained control of Peking, including China's internationally recognized government, in April 1926...
had quietly occupied Malanyu. Sun Dianying, ordered Tan Wenjiang, one of his Division commanders to capture the tomb area. At dawn on July 2, Ma Futian was driven away and Tan's army looted the mausoleums in Malanyu. After that, Sun's army went straight to the area of the Eastern Qing Tombs, pretending to engage in war exercises in the area. Tan Wenjiang placed policemen all around, denying access to the area and signs declared the army was "protecting the Tombs" to prevent interference.
The looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Then Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves. Finally, ordinary soldiers were allowed to take the leftovers.
The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Ci Xi, such as jadeite
Jadeite
Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition NaAlSi2O6. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition. The mineral is dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. Jadeite forms solid solutions with other pyroxene endmembers such as augite and diopside ,...
watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral. They even grabbed objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her under clothing, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body. They even pried open Ci Xi's jaws and took the scarce pearl from her mouth. Finally they looted the objects under the coffin which had been favorites of Ci Xi when she was alive.
While Tan Wenjiang was robbing Ci Xi's tomb, Han Dabao, Brigade Commander under Sun Dianying led another group to Yuling Mausoleum and declared his intention to conduct a war exercise. They blew the entrance and doorways of the underground palace, rushed into the tomb. The coffins of Emperor Qian Long and his two empresses and three concubines were pried open, all the valuables looted and the skeletons thrown into the mud. The soldiers then rushed to Yuling Mausoleum and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling and looted what they could.
Newspapers reported the grave robbing and the news spread throughout China and around the world. People were outraged. Emperor Aisin-Gioro, who had dismissed Sun from his post, sent telegrams to Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
; Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan, was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. Yan effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War...
, Commander of Garrison Force in Beijing; the Central Committee of Kuomintang, and local newspapers asking them to punish Sun Dianying severely. Many others also called for punishment. However, Sun Dianying bribed
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
those who were in a position to discipline him and nothing was done.
After removing the treasures from the graves, Sun and his army sealed the empty chambers with stones. They carted off some of China's greatest treasures, but some things couldn't be easily removed, and the imposing buildings of the mausoleum still survive.