In a village in Jishan County, Shanxi Province, a brick-carved tomb was accidentally discovered, but experts never expected that it was a strange local natural phenomenon that uncovered the mystery of this historical site.
Villagers living in Macun, Jishan County, Shanxi Province have lived here for almost generations. Macun is located in a remote place. Like many ordinary villages, there is no wealth and dignity, and everyone lives an ordinary and comfortable life. It can be said that my hair is yellow and I am happy.
Unexpectedly, an unexpected discovery broke the quiet life of the village for several years, and for a time, the village became the object of heated discussion in the archaeological community.
It turns out that although the area of Macun is small, it has always been regarded as a treasure trove of geomantic omen. The most important thing is that there is a mysterious mound in Macun. For many years, no matter whether it snows heavily or lightly, there will never be snow on this mound. Even if it snows heavily in a certain year, the snow on the mound will melt away quickly. The local people named this mound Baimupo.
Unexpectedly, this attracted the attention of archaeologists. First of all, a mound without snow means that there will be a large-scale grave under this mound. Secondly, the local people's name for this mound aroused the suspicion of experts, so in order to find out, experts came to Macun for on-site investigation.
As soon as they arrived at Baimupo, the experts found that it was completely different from other places in the village. There is almost no vegetation here, so they immediately started archaeological work. After a period of hard work, the underground scene made the experts present ecstatic.
It turned out that there was a brick tomb under the mound, and the scene inside the brick tomb once again shocked the experts. The brick carving in Macun reproduces the layout style of the master's living room in the form of exquisite brick carving. Moreover, these brick carvings are not only exquisite in shape, but also exquisite in craftsmanship. The details such as cornices, rafters and bucket arches are handled well, which is not inferior to real-life buildings. Even the tomb owners around the brick carvings don't want them to be left blank, and skillfully decorate them with patterns of actresses, maids, birds and animals.
The structure of the tomb was basically set according to the architectural style at that time. The front hall and back hall and the left and right wing rooms were obviously typical quadrangle structures. And they are all in the north-south direction. The only difference is the difference in size and complexity. There are wooden decorations on the tomb door, and some are carved with warriors and town beasts, obviously to protect the tomb owner.
When experts conducted archaeological research on Tomb No.7, they discovered the "Duanji Prefabricated Tomb" in the 21st year of Dading in the Jin Dynasty, and also confirmed that this large tomb group is the tomb group of Duan family. In these fourteen tombs, four generations of Duan family members are buried, and the tomb owners should live in the Song and Jin Dynasties.
Experts found that some ancient pharmacies were carved on some bricks and stones. Why? The epitaph records restored everything to us. Duan was a famous family of medicated diets at that time. The medicated diet they developed was even appreciated by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor. Duan gradually developed better and better, but unexpectedly, the Mongols conquered the Central Plains, but Duan did not want to be treated by the Mongols, and the last Duan was destroyed by the Mongols.
Although Duan's family finally disappeared in history, the brick tombs they left behind provided good physical materials for our future generations to study the history of Song and Jin Dynasties. There are not many funerary objects unearthed from the brick tomb in Macun. Generally, there were only one or two large porcelain bowls, porcelain lamps and some copper coins in the Northern Song Dynasty. But in Tomb No.4, there is a three-dimensional sculpture of twenty-four filial piety, which is not only vivid in shape, but also quite exquisite in production. We can also appreciate the loyalty and inheritance of the ancients to filial piety from this sculpture.
Today, the brick tomb of Macun, with a total area of about 1.6 million square meters, has been developed into the Shanxi Golden Tomb Museum. Every day, tourists come and go to visit buildings thousands of years ago. Through the exquisite brick carving architecture, we can see the fragments of people's lives in the Song and Jin Dynasties and relive the beautiful past.