The Qing Dongling was built in 166 1 year, that is, after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs. The construction of the mausoleum lasted for 247 years, almost throughout the history of the Qing Dynasty. There are 15 cemeteries here, where five emperors, 15 queens, concubines, brothers and princesses are buried, totaling 16 1 person.
Because the age is closest to ours, the Qing Dongling Mausoleum is the most intact imperial mausoleum in China at present. There is also a beautiful scenery here in the Qing Dongling, and that is the grave keeper. The Qing dynasty has been dead for more than a hundred years, and they are still holding on. Mausoleum guard system
In fact, the imperial tombs of each dynasty were guarded by people, but with the change of dynasties, the people guarding the tombs no longer existed. Today, the only existing guardian of the imperial tomb is the Qing Dongling. So who are these people guarding the imperial tomb?
The East Mausoleum of Qing Dynasty was built from the East Gate of Qing Dynasty, and the first emperor buried was Shunzhi. The Qing royal family also took great pains to build tombs, and it took hundreds of years to reach the scale of Yu Jiancheng today.
It not only embodies the ancient people's pursuit of honor after death, but also shows off the imperial power. Moreover, such a large-scale mausoleum will inevitably arrange grave keepers, which not only protects the mausoleum, but also prevents grave robbers.
Thus, with the construction of the mausoleum, the rules and regulations of the mausoleum keepers came into being. In many film and television dramas, the son of Wang Sun who made a mistake will be punished for guarding the mausoleum, so it should be a hard job in people's impression.
But in fact, under the perfect guarding system, the people who guard the mausoleum are actually paid more than many officials. First of all, the Qing dynasty should not be careless when choosing the cemetery guards. Ordinary people are not qualified to guard the mausoleum, and they must be talents with certain status.
Generally speaking, there are three kinds of grave keepers: those appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, those among the children of the Eight Banners and those appointed by the imperial court. The first two are selected from the middle and lower levels of the Eight Banners, and the ministers guarding the mausoleum are mostly members of the royal family.
The Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing Dynasty was far away from the capital, and the imperial court took great pains to make these emperors and grandchildren willing to guard the Mausoleum. Getting people to accept this job must pay a lot of money.
According to records, the annual salary of the minister guarding the mausoleum is about 1 0,300 taels of silver, which is 260,000 when one tael of silver equals 200 yuan RMB in Qing Dynasty. There are more than 100 ordinary guards guarding the mausoleum, that is, 20 thousand people.
This condition can be said to be very good, because at that time, ordinary people may not earn a penny or two all the year round. Not only that, the Qing court will also build luxury houses around the mausoleum for them to live in.
Because guarding the mausoleum is a messenger handed down from generation to generation, many people guarding the mausoleum were handed down at that time. After hundreds of years of development, villages and clans have gradually formed. Panic period
In fact, the work of the grave keeper is not just as simple as guarding the imperial tomb and cleaning. They are also responsible for the internal affairs of the imperial tomb, such as etiquette, daily maintenance and sacrificial activities. Moreover, it is common to prepare tributes and sacrifices, unlike now, it is only necessary to prepare on holidays.
But most of the time, the work is still relatively idle, supported by the government's salary, and there is no need to worry about their livelihood. As a result, a group of idle people have formed, which are fine in stable times, but they can only ask for more happiness in turbulent times.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, all kinds of land compensation in the Qing Dynasty made the national treasury empty, and Cixi ordered many times to cut the salary of the grave keeper. However, the reduction is not without it, so it has little impact on the lives of some people. It was not until the demise of the Qing Dynasty that they knew what suffering was.
In fact, guarding the mausoleum on such a large scale is not a small expense. After the death of the Qing Dynasty, the imperial court cut off this supply, which caught many tomb guards off guard. After the government of the Republic of China took over the Qing Dynasty, it promised to continue to pay them wages, but the reality was always cruel.
In the Republic of China, warlords scuffled and the society was in a period of war. Who is in the mood to guard the mausoleum? Therefore, it is obviously more difficult for people without skills to find a way to make a living.
People who are usually thrifty can barely make ends meet by saving some money. On the other hand, those who spend a lot of money are like discarded garbage at this time. They can only sell their own property to live, and after the property is sold, they put their ideas on the funerary objects.
In order to survive, some grave keepers went into the mausoleum to steal funerary objects and resell them, and even acted as guides for grave robbers. They have completely forgotten the management system of guarding tombs and pushed themselves from guarding tombs to destroying them in order to survive.
After this period of chaos, the Qing Dongling suffered unprecedented damage. With the departure of a large number of grave keepers, this place has gradually become a place where no one cares. But there are still a group of people who have survived the difficult years and have been guarding the Qing Dongling. Centennial mausoleum keeper
After more than 200 years of development, a large number of villages were formed near Dongling in Qing Dynasty. Almost all are descendants of grave keepers. Some people have lived here for generations and never thought about leaving. During the Anti-Japanese War, they still followed the lessons of their ancestors and stayed near the imperial tomb.
In today's Hebei, there is a place called Malanyu Town. Their ancestors used to guard the tombs of Tongzhi emperors, but now the population has reached tens of thousands, forming a place with perfect village system and long folk customs.
After the founding of New China, the government took over the Qing Tombs and made proper arrangements for those who did not want to leave. Almost all of them are children of the Eight Banners in the Qing Dynasty, and the government has hired some educated people to be administrators of the Qing Dongling.
Now they have joined the state's establishment system, and all wages are paid by the state, which is an iron rice bowl.
Coincidentally, there is also a Dongling Manchu township in the west of Malanyu Town, which is also a descendant of the Shouling people. Some of them are in charge of the Qing Dongling Museum. Some of them are ticket sellers, while others become local tour guides.
Every year, a large number of tourists come to the Qing Tombs. They are responsible for receiving tourists and telling them the history of the Qing Tombs. Although the Qing Dynasty perished for more than 100 years, they persisted and became a positive force to inherit culture.
Time doesn't seem to have slipped away here. You can still hear the clear pronunciation and mellow voice of Beijing dialect, and still retain a lot of pure Manchu customs. Although the grave keeper is now regarded as a job by the outside world, in their hearts, it is not only a job, but also a deep responsibility.
Because of their persistence, the talents who guarded Dongling in the Qing Dynasty will not die out, and let us know that in the vast history, there are a group of people who guarded the cultural treasures of our country for their obsession.
Maybe in another hundred years, this profession will still exist. However, they are no longer simple grave keepers, but also the founders of inheriting and protecting history and culture.