There is an ancient tomb in England, and all five tombs face the east. Why did China say that it should be repaired?
This ancient tomb in Britain is no ordinary tomb. Under those five tombs are our China people. They are soldiers of the Qing Dynasty in China who have been forgotten by the world.
These five ancient tombs were discovered by an overseas student from China. The tombstones of the five tombs are all engraved with Chinese characters, and three of them have long been blurred because of their age. Fortunately, the other two pieces can also vaguely distinguish the above words: "Tomb of Chen Shoufu in Houguan County, Fuzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province" and "Tomb of Chen Chengkui in Fujian Province". This is the key word to identify them.
When this ancient tomb was discovered, it was in a dilapidated state because no one went to pay homage to it. The international student immediately informed the Chinese Embassy in Britain that the Embassy attached great importance to it, and announced that the five tombs would be repaired in conjunction with the China Cultural Relics Protection Foundation.
why did soldiers in the Qing dynasty die abroad? This has to start from the late Qing Dynasty, when China was once a powerful country and became a piece of fat that the world powers competed for. Many social elites wanted to change this phenomenon, so they had the Westernization Movement, and created beiyang fleet in the Westernization Movement. In order to make beiyang fleet more powerful, they sent hundreds of Qing soldiers to study in Britain. These soldiers work hard and want to master excellent navigation technology and maritime combat technology. Unfortunately, for various reasons, these five China Navy members died of illness and were forgotten by the world.
After their death, they were buried in St. John's Cemetery in Newcastle, England. Their glorious mission was engraved on the tombstone in Chinese. The tomb faces the east, expressing their yearning for the motherland in the east. Fortunately, now that they are finally remembered, they will be protected by the motherland in the future, and they can rest in peace.