Where is the tomb of Zhao Tuo, King of Nanyue?
Many friends may not know much about the emperor Zhao Tuo, let alone Zhao Tuo’s mausoleum. Let’s first briefly talk about Zhao Tuo, and then analyze the location of his mausoleum.
1. Who is Zhao Tuo, King of South Vietnam?
Zhao Tuo was originally the deputy commander of Qin Shihuang's attack on South Vietnam. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in chaos, so Zhao Tuo separated Lingnan and established the Nanyue Kingdom. He became the first emperor of South Vietnam, namely Emperor Wu of Nanyue. Let’s take a look at his basic information. Name: Zhao Tuo Place of Birth: Zhending County, Hengshan County, Qin (now Zhengding, Hebei Province) Life and Death: Approximately 240 BC - 137 BC (103 years old) Status: General of the Qin Dynasty, later the first emperor of the South Vietnam Kingdom Time in power: 81 years!
2. Why does Zhao Tuo’s mausoleum attract attention?
The main reason why Zhao Tuo’s mausoleum has attracted much attention is because of Zhao Tuo’s own legendary nature. There were more than 400 emperors in China's feudal society, and very few of them were over eighty years old. Zhao Tuo actually lived to live over a hundred years, which is an extremely legendary figure in himself.
Under the governance of Zhao Tuo, the South Vietnam Kingdom had a harmonious society, a developed economy, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It is said that Zhao Tuo's biggest hobby besides running the government was searching for rare treasures. Zhao Tuo actually held power for eighty-one years and must have collected countless treasures during his lifetime. Before his death, Zhao Tuo ordered that all the treasures be buried with him in the mausoleum. , becoming the focus of future generations.
Zhao Tuo was at the turn of the Qin and Han Dynasties and knew that South Vietnam would one day be destroyed by the Han Dynasty. If the mausoleum was built too grandly and obviously, it would most likely have the tomb dug up and destroyed. Careful arrangements were made for his own burial.
According to historical records, there are several tombs in Zhao Tuo's camp. After his death, the funeral car came out from the four gates, making it unknown where the tomb is. No one knew it for thousands of years, so it became an unsolved mystery.
3. Where is Zhao Tuo’s tomb?
In the 1980s, the tomb of Zhao Wei, the second generation emperor of South Vietnam and the grandson of Zhao Tuo, was discovered in Xianggang, Guangzhou City, as shown in the picture below.
Based on the ancient mausoleum system, combined with Feng Shui and Guangzhou’s geographical environment, the location of Zhao Tuo’s mausoleum should meet the following three conditions: First, from the perspective of terrain, due to the low altitude of the Lingnan area, Zhao Tuo’s tomb location should meet the following three conditions: It is impossible to build the Tuoling Mausoleum on flat ground and dig deep down, because groundwater will gush out within a few meters. Secondly, the Mausoleum of Zhao is located in Xianggang in the north of Guangzhou City, 20 meters in the heart of Xianggang. The mountain is carved into the mausoleum, which is both waterproof and very secretive. From this point of view, Zhao Tuo should be buried in a high place on the hill. Third, according to the ancient Zhaomu funeral system, Zhao Tuo's mausoleum is in the middle, his son should be buried in Zhaobi, which is on the east side of Zhao Tuo's mausoleum, and his grandson Zhao Mei should be buried in Mubi, which is on the west side of Zhao Tuo's mausoleum.
Judging from this, the location of Zhao Wei’s tomb that has been discovered is extrapolated to the east. Taking into account Feng Shui issues, the location of the tomb should be on a hilly highland. The conclusion is:
Zhao Tuo's mausoleum is most likely to be deep in the center of the hillside below Yuejinggang, the main peak of Yuexiu Mountain in Guangzhou today, and its regulations are also to carve the mountain into a mausoleum.