Has Zhao Tuo’s tomb been found?
Zhao Tuo was the founding king of the South Vietnam Kingdom during the Western Han Dynasty. He was originally a general of the Qin Dynasty. In 214 BC, after Qin Shihuang unified Lingnan, he established three counties: Guilin, Nanhai and Xiang. Zhao Tuo was appointed as the Longchuan Order of Nanhai County. At the end of the Qin Dynasty, wars broke out. Zhao Tuo, who had become a captain in Nanhai, took the opportunity to control the two counties of Guilin and Xiang, and established the first feudal feudal state in Lingnan, the Nanyue Kingdom. He was first called "King Wu of South Vietnam", and later changed his name to "Emperor Wu of South Vietnam". At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he ordered to cut off all channels of communication with the Central Plains and implement seclusion and self-government. He pursued the national policy of "harmonizing hundreds of Yues", respected the customs of the Yue people, encouraged Han and Yue people to mix, and appointed Yue leaders. His governance method promoted the development of Yue land in Lingnan, and the Nanyue Kingdom gradually became stronger and stronger. The Western Han Dynasty was unable to do anything about it for a hundred years. In the nearly hundred years of history of the South Vietnam Kingdom, Zhao Tuo himself reigned for 67 years. He died when he was nearly a hundred years old. After his death, he was buried in Panyu, the capital of the South Vietnam Kingdom, which is today's Guangzhou.
According to relevant historical records, Zhao Tuo collected a large number of rare treasures during his lifetime and took them all into his grave after his death. Moreover, when he was still alive, he made careful arrangements for his funeral. Therefore, his tomb is a great secret.
He did not follow the customs of the Central Plains and Lingnan to make his mausoleum majestic. Instead, he used the mountains to secretly build a crypt, leaving no trace on the ground. He also set up suspicious tombs to avoid being dug up and robbed. Even his burial after his death was carefully arranged, and the coffin came out of the four doors. As for the burial place, it was a top secret at the time, and almost no one knew where his tomb was. It seems that the excavation of Qin Shihuang's mausoleum gave him many epiphanies. However, in this way, it will be really difficult for future generations to find his tomb.
The records of the location of his tomb in various historical materials handed down from ancient times are mostly based on speculation, so they are different. "Guangdong General Chronicles" of the Ming Dynasty said that "Zhao Tuo's tomb is located eight miles northeast of the county" and "in Yushan"; "Nanyue Chronicles" records that "Zhao Tuo's tomb is located from Jilonggang to the Liangang Mountains near Guangzhou. "Place"; "Guangzhou Records" of the Jin Dynasty also said that "Zhao Tuo's tomb is in the north of the city, and there is Ma'an Gang behind the tomb"; in local chronicles of various periods, some say it is on Baiyun Mountain, and some write that it is in Yuexiu There are so many different opinions at the foot of the mountain that people are at a loss as to what to do.
Due to the high archaeological value of Zhao Tuo’s tomb and the attraction of the huge collection of rare treasures, countless people have been trying to find it for more than 2000 years starting from the Three Kingdoms period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Tomb of Zhao Tuo. Historical records record: "Sun Quan, the leader of Soochow during the Three Kingdoms period, sent Lu Yu and several thousand soldiers to dig up Zhao Tuo's tomb, hoping to find a huge amount of treasures. They dug into the mountains and rocks in the south of Lingnan and dug three feet into the ground. They dug all over the hills and mountains near Guangzhou, but found nothing." However, there are also historical records: "Sun Quan did not find anything at that time. His men found the tomb of Zhao Tuo's grandson and obtained the pearl from it. Three Ru jade boxes, thirty-six gold seals, an emperor's letter seal, an emperor's official seal and three private seals were also unearthed. Three bronze swords were also unearthed, namely the famous Chun Gou, Ganjiang and Moye swords. They are all placed in sword boxes made of mixed jade.” However, due to their age, the whereabouts of these cultural relics cannot be traced. Therefore, I don’t know the authenticity of this record.
However, in 1983, Chinese archaeologists excavated the tomb of Zhao Mei, the second generation king of South Vietnam, in Xianggang, Guangzhou. Many rare cultural relics were unearthed in the tomb, which can be called "the best in China" . This makes people more confident that the description of Zhao Tuo’s tomb in historical materials is by no means based on mere speculation. At the same time, it also shows that the historical records of the discovery of Zhao Yingqi's tomb are likely to be true. Because three gold seals were unearthed from Zhao Mei's tomb, one of them, the dragon button "Emperor Wen's Seal", which symbolizes power and prestige, weighs 148.5 grams. The seal button is an expressive and vivid dragon. It is the largest Western Han Dynasty gold seal ever seen. When Zhao Mei was buried, he also wore a "silk jade garment", which was made by weaving more than 2,291 pieces of jade together with ribbons. This is very similar to the records in Yingqi's tomb, such as "three pearls and jade boxes and thirty-six gold seals", which shows that what the ancients said is true.
Among the cultural relics unearthed from Zhao Mei's tomb, there are also many treasures that can be regarded as the best cultural relics in China.
As the founding king of South Vietnam, Zhao Tuo’s tomb may bring us greater surprises. However, grave hunters of all generations have traveled to countless hills such as Baiyun Mountain, Jilonggang, and Ma'angang near Guangzhou, and Zhao Tuo's tomb is still hidden deep underground and unknown to the world. Who can be lucky enough to solve this mystery?