8 imperial coffins to be moved
Print Edition
EIGHT coffins of Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) imperial figures, including Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi, will be moved to prevent them from decaying, archeologists in north China’s Hebei Province said.
All of the coffins are housed in the imperial family’s royal tombs, now known as the Eastern Qing Tombs, in Zunhua City, Hebei.
Coffin rescue and restoration work approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage will use traditional carpentry and painting, Wang Zhaohua, head of the Cultural Relics Management Office of Eastern Qing Tombs, said.
The tombs were looted in 1928, with a large quantity of rare treasures buried as funeral objects, especially from the tombs of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Qianlong, ransacked. The coffins were broken open by the troops of warlord Sun Dianying.
The coffins have since been decaying in the tombs, dubbed the “underground palace,” where the environment was humid.
“We need to remove the decayed parts and repair them using low nitrogen oxygen technology in order to conserve the coffins for the long term. Preliminary estimates for maintenance costs are 15 million yuan (US$2.4 million),” said Wang.
The Eastern Qing Tombs consist of 15 mausoleums and 586 buildings. They contain the remains of 161 Qing Dynasty imperial family members.
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