One other significant achievement of this cers project is that prior to our conservation and research effort, the earliest remaining coffins of the bo people were dated to the late. The bo people from southern china use hanging coffins to preserve the deceased. The hanging coffins are interesting no doubt, but the experiences we had with the local people, as well as the atmosphere and nature of the luobiao area deserves just as much attention. Luobiao hanging coffins luobiao, china attractions. Chinas hanging coffins are a group of coffins in the bochango valley, once numbering up to 280 but now closer to 100, which are tucked in caves and under cliffsides between 350 and 400. According to mail online, the strange funerary practice in this region ended with the disappearance of the bo people. Hanging coffins of the vampire queen dark wizard games. The are parts of the legends and stories told i would believe but others are just legends. Vampire forums discussion of hanging coffins of the bo at vampire rave. The coffins were placed there by the bo people an extinct ethnicity of china who apparently preferred their dead as auspiciously displayed as possible. Pdf hanging coffins of sagada, mountain province, philippines. The hanging coffins of washi village are located on the guanmu cliff and baihu cliff in changan township of weixin county, zhaotong city. The hanging coffins of the bo people are found in gongxian, xingwen and yunlian counties of yibin city, sichuan province. One of the worlds greatest unsolved coffin mysteries is the case of the hanging coffins of china a phenomenon that has yet to be explained definitively.
Their heavy wooden coffins extend from the rock face almost 300 feet straight up. Some lesser known facts about hanging coffins of sagada. The hanging coffins like a macabre chandelier on a moon of saturn. The bo people appeared to not want much to do with the outside worldbut the outside world wanted to wipe them out40,000 murdered in one fell swoop. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces. The bo populated yibin were called dao in chinese, thus the county encompassing yibin was called bo dao county. The bo at some point went out quietly from history, and with them also ended the custom of hanging coffins some historian thinks the coffins had been lowered with ropes from the top of the mountain.
Bo people hanging coffin of doushaguan in yanjin county. The oldest coffins dating back 3,000 years, however, were found in the eastern province of fujian. The hanging coffin is an intriguing chinese funerary custom that likely began in the 8th century. More than one hundred ancient hanging coffins discovered. I am sure the people exploring this interesting tradition of the nearextinct bo. In 1999, at one of the most famous hanging coffin sites in matangba, sichuan, which wong had first visited in the 1980s, he discovered that many of the coffins had been looted despite being. Sagadas mysterious hanging coffins at echo valley attest to the 2,000yearold igorot burial traditions that have fascinated the world. They are most linked to the bo people, an ethnic minority who first resided in matangba, china more than 3,000 years ago. Around this time the bo people entered historic records, and experts believe that it is no coincidence that the hanging coffins appeared at the same time. In the remote mountains of southwest china, precarious hanging coffins are all that remain of the mysterious bo people.
Reportedly, these particular hanging coffins were left behind by the bo people, a chinese ethnic group considered to have been lost since the early 1660s when they were massacred by the army of the ming dynasty. This tribe was brutally massacred by the ming dynastys army. This discovery channel film, mysterious hanging coffins of the bo people, remains the most comprehensive television feature on the bo people and the hanging coffins. The filming was not ideal because of the heavy smog in the area and the placement of the coffins, which where high on the cliffs and at some distance from my camera. At one time there were more than 300 hanging coffins, although a third or more have fallen to the ground as their support stakes have rotted away over the past 600 years. These coffins sit on platforms suspended from the face of a cliff near the kete kesu village in sulawesi, indonesia.
Hanging coffins are coffins which have been placed on cliffs. Visitors to the bo hanging coffins will be impressed by the sheer number of coffins here and also how well preserved the coffins are. While various forms of coffin hanging existed around china, indonesia, and the philippines, this particular location was done by the bo people of southwest china. About the hanging coffin of bo people through archaeological dating tests, the hanging coffins of doushaguan belongs to ming dynasty. All about the mysterious and weird hanging coffins of china. Bo people lived in this district under the xia, shang and zhou dynasties.
Hanging and resting on the sides of a mountain, lies the mysterious hanging coffins of china. So who constructed these weird and wonderful cemeteries. Hanging coffins can still be seen across central and southern china, especially along the remote valleys of the mighty yangtze river, which flows from the himalayas to chinas eastern coast. Although no one knows exactly how or why the hanging coffins came to be, there are various hypotheses about their origins. Hanging coffin burials linked to the bo people have been found in several of chinas southern provinces, including yunnan, sichuan, jiangxi and fujian.
The reasoning behind the bo funeral practice died along with the people. Why did the ancient people bury the dead in hanging coffins. Download 11840 coffin stock photos for free or amazingly low rates. The bizarre hanging coffins of china and the philippines.
Bo village with hanging coffins remnants of bo village. Some rest on wooden posts that jut out from the cliffside, others lie in niches cut into the rock or in natural recesses where murals painted in cinnabar red depict scenes from the lives of these curious people, known as the bo. The hanging coffins of china and philippines hide out now. The bo people buried their dead in hanging coffins, which they placed high on rocks. Others, however, suggested the hypothesis that those who had placed them, did with the help of the stakes fixed into the rock. The mysterious hanging coffins of the bo people china.
There are hanging coffins found in other parts of china, but there are more in luobiao than anywhere else and they are reasonably accessible. The bo buried their dead in hanging coffins high on rocks. As the name suggests, families would place the deceased into wooden coffins, which they would then hang on the sides of cliffs. The ancient hanging coffins of southern china blasting news. Fortune and glory await those brave souls who can escape from the hanging coffins of the vampire queen. Spiritually, the bo people viewed the mountain cliffs as a stairway to heaven and believed that. Download this hanging coffins in the rock mountain in sagada philippines picture for editorial use now. The film follows a team of archaeologists into the unexplored depths of yunnan. Bo village with hanging coffins album amateur54 fotki. What do you know about the hanging coffins of china and the mysterious bo people. Hanging coffins and the mysterious bo people of china.
Pinewood coffins suspended with primitive wires and ropes along limestone cliffs act as vessels to heaven. The coffins are generally about 10 meter to 50 meters to. The mysterious hanging coffins of luobiao in china. Some bo descendants were still found to be living even in 2005. Some are placed in caves while others sit on projections in. However, the practice ended with the mysterious disappearance of the bo people. When the bo people disappeared into the mists of time everything related to the hanging coffins disappeared along with them. Both cultures have been recorded as placing these coffins up over 2 thousand years ago. According to cui chen, curator of the yibin museum, hanging coffins come in three types. They laughed as if as modern men they would ever think of doing such an old fashioned thing. The mysterious hanging coffins of the bo people, yangtze. Hanging coffins of the bo travel guidebook must visit attractions in. Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some ethnic groups, especially the bo people of southern china.
Through archaeological dating tests, the hanging coffins of doushaguan belongs to ming dynasty. Coffin stock photos download 11,840 royalty free photos. These coffins were constructed by the bo people, who were an ethnic minority that existed in china before being killed by the ming army. Comfortably predating the arrival of the spanish, the procedure can. You might get shocked knowing that the hanging coffins of sagada came as an interesting chinese funerary custom which likely began somewhere around the 8th century this article will help you to discover some mysterious dark secrets about this place. The hanging coffins is located on the cliff at the south bank of guanhe river, shimen village, dousha town, yanjin county, next to national highway 2. Gino mempinflickr the bos were a rebellious minority tribe having strange customs. Anybody can give me some insights on how to visit this place. From this area, the trend seemed to spread through the hubei, sichuan, and yunnan provinces. Southern china boasts dramatic and beautiful landscapes of rivers, mountains, forests, and towering cliffs. The bo people leave these coffins hanging over the edges of the nearby cliffs in the region. Their civilization flourished already in 1100256 bc. Watch mysterious hanging coffins of china prime video.
How did they make the hanging coffins and how did they suspend them form the mountainside. Several other cultures have honored or protected their dead and the valuables theyre laid to rest with in hanging coffins. The region is also home to one of the oldest historic mysteries in china the hanging coffins that dot the waterways of the yangtze river. I have read up on the hanging coffins of sagada, and tried comparing them with the chinese ones that you showed and i think you are correct that there is a connection between the two. These hanging coffins were found on sides of mountains and maintained on top by wooden stakes. Wong how man has tracked down coffins hanging off cliffsides across china for three decades. The hanging coffin was a widespread form of burial in ancient southwest china, but the practice ended with the mysterious disappearance of the bo people. The departed assume a fetal position, as it is believed that souls should leave the earth the same way they entered it. Hanging coffins of the bo people in south sichuan is a heritage from the vanished ancient bo minority. Members of the igorot tribe of mountain province in northern philippines have long practised the tradition of burying their dead in hanging coffins, nailed to the sides of cliff faces high above the ground.
This strange tradition of the hanging coffins of sagada was considered to have vanished with the bo people. The hanging coffins which scattered are all throughout the cliffs and caves of the. Hanging coffins are remnants of an extinct funeral. For instance, adults deliberate knocked out their teeth, a custom still practiced. Maximum mayhem dungeons are created with one thing in mind.
Hanging coffins carved from a single log and bronze drums are widely found in the areas once inhabited by bo people. The shen nong gorge hanging coffins describe an ancient cliff burial site in the hubei province of central peoples republic of china. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. The coffins are generally about 10 meter to 50 meters to the ground. I was, also, interested in the mayormaynotbe bo descendants response to the question would they ever consider burying their dead in hanging coffins. The hanging coffins of china and philippines amusing planet. Discovery channel awardwinning documentary myterious. Bo people hanging coffin of washi village in weixin county.
More than one hundred ancient hanging coffins discovered in china a cluster of 1 hanging coffins dating back 1,200 years have been discovered on clifffaces and in caves in zigui county, hubei province, close to the site of the three gorges dam in china. This adventure has that classic look and feel both inside and out, including blue maps and oldschool fantasy art from some of the best artists in the business. Mysterious hanging coffins of china dot the cliffs of the yangtze river. Anthropologists suspect that hanging the coffins far above ground had something to do with protecting the body from carnivorous animals or to shorten the deads journey to heaven. Hanging coffins of bo people hanging coffins sichuan. Hanging coffins in the rock mountain in sagada philippines stock. Well, the evidence of hanging coffins in china goes as far back as 3000 years, in the fujian province.
Hanging coffins of guyue people in dragon tiger mountain hanging coffins of guyue people in wuyi mountain. Mysterious hanging coffins of the bo after more than two months of hard work, renovation of the hanging coffins of the bo people in gongxian county of southwest chinas sichuan province has now. Although no one really knows exactly how or why the hanging coffins came to be, there are various stories about their origins. According to historical records, the bo people believed coffins set. They believe that the deceased souls will forever be blessed if they are hung in coffins, and. A blue coffin for a little boy in a morgue stock photo. Here is your complete travel guide to the hanging coffins in sagada, mt. But go no further than southwest china where a few hundred ancient coffins dangle precariously on the side of a cliff. I disembarked in the onestreet town of luobiao, in southern sichuan province, to see the hanging coffins xuanguan. Shen nong gorge hanging coffins shen nong xi rock cut tomb.
Take your travel expert with you download world travel guide. Solving the mystery of hanging coffins of china, china times of. There are many tales and legends of the bo ppl flying, but legends can be bias, researchers hope by exploring the hanging coffins it will reveal the secrets and truth of the legends and of the bo. The hanging coffin was the most widespread form of burial in ancient southwest china. Hanging coffins of the bo spartan and the green egg. The bo people lived in this district for several centuries but their civilization really flourished from 1100 to 256 bc. The bo people flourished in hemp pond valley for approximately four hundred years, three thousand years ago until mysteriously disappearing, leaving only their hanging coffins and. Bo hanging coffins tours yibin, sichuan province, china. First appearing from about 2,000 years ago, the hanging coffins are part of the unique funeral and sacrifice customs of the ancient bo people inhabited in southwestern china.
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