TOMBS OF MANCHUS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 December 1928, Page 7

TOMBS OF MANCHUS

THEFT OF BURIED WEALTH. An extraordinary instance of sacrilege on the part of troops belonging to General Chu Yu-pu, formerly Tupan of Chihli, has. been unearthed by the Chinese authorities in Pekin] A general, Tang Shoo-ching, a divisional commander- under General Chu, on his retreat from Tientsin, when driven back by the Nationalists, was ordered to break open the eastern tombs of tho Manchus of Chihsien, 140 miles east of Pekin, and to take away the jewels contained therein. The police of Pekin, from information received, arrested a young officer of the former Chihli-Shantung troops of General Chu. The oliicei confessed the whole story, tho soldiers of General. Chu drove away the guards regularly maintained at the tombs, and started to excavate for the coflins. The work took Over a fortnight. It was found that the coffins were covered with layers upon layers of thick jade, finally the graves were blown open with dynamite and a large quantity of precious stones were obtained from the debris and from the coffins which were blown open. Tho total value of the booty taken from the Imperial tombs is estimated to be worth over £1,200,000. The suspicions of the police were first aroused when some extremely valuable articles came on the market in Pekin.The authorities seized a curio dealer’s shop in Pekin in which some of the booty was found. From the tomb of Emperor Chien Lung “melons” made of emeralds were taken, and from the coffin of the Empress-Dowager, the “Old Buddha,” a huge diamond formerly worn in the Imperial crown. Another report states that a magnificent pearl taken from the same coffin has been sold in Tientsin for about £2OOO. PEARLS AMONG THE DEBRIS. A European merchant in Tientsin visited several antique shops and purchased six large pearls for about £24. These are believed to have been stolen from the Imperial tombs, but it is thought that the Chinese dealer who sold them dipped the pearls into some chemical, thereby altering their colour and making it difficult to identify them. The actual value of these pearls is estimated at not less than £2OO. Two Chinese have been arrested in Tsingtao while attempting to dispose of some three hundred pieces of jewellery suspected to be a part of the loot; children living near the tombs are reported to have picked up a number of small pearls among the debris. The authorities state that they feel confident that the valuables already sold in Pekin, Tientsin and other places does not represent one-hundred-th part of the total amount stolen. Members of the Imperial family are extremely indignant over the desecration of the eastern tombs, and are demanding severe punishment for the responsible persons. The ex-Emperor Hsuan Tung, has donned mourningdress as a sign of his grief at the desecration of his family graves. Following the outrage a grand-nep-hew of the favourite eunuch of the Dowager-Empress has published a detailed list of the vast accumulation of priceless treasures buried with the “Old Buddha.” The list is compiled from a diary kept by the grand-uncle; it is an Astounding catalogue. The tale of buried jewels recalls the fables of the Arabian Nights and the total value of the treasure runs into millions of pounds.

GARNISHING THE COFFIN. According to the statement of the grand-nephew, before the Dowager Empress was laid in her coffin a mattress of gold thread, seven inches thick, in which was woven an embroidery of pearls, was spread on the bottom; on the top of this mattress was laid a silk embroidered coverlet sewn with a layer of pearls. On this layer of pearls was Ibid another lace sheet of pearls into which was woven a figure of Buddha. At the head of the coffin was placed a jade ornament resembling lotus leaves and at the foot an emerald in the shape of a Jotus flower. The value of the mattress of gold thread, pearls, etc., is. estimated to be about £400,000. The Empress-Dowager was dressed in a ceremonial robe on which pearls were embroidered in gdld thread, and over this garment was an embroidered jacket with a rope of pearls. In addition a rope of pearls encircled her body nine times, and 18 pearl images of Buddha were laid in her arms. The body of the Dowager-Empress was finally covered with a sacred pall on which were written prayers in the Manchu script. A chaplet of pearls was placed on her head and by her side were laid images of Buddha in gold, jade and gems numbering more than one hundred, wild melons of jade, also gems made in the shape of apricots, peaches and peats, etc., were placed at her fee 4 . The official list of the wealth buried with the Empress-Dowager alone amounted to over £6,500,000. At tho sumo time the actual value of the treasures taken by the despoilers of the Manchu tombs will never be known in all probability. It will take, years to successfully dispose of the loot.