“Overwhelmed with rage!” While repairing a Qing Dynasty ancestor grave, a villager in Hunan discovered a large pit that had been dug out, suspecting it was the work of grave robbers; the police have already become involved.

Ask AI · During the Qing Dynasty, a big landlord’s ancestral grave was dug up—what was the motive of the grave robbers?

When a villager in Hunan was repairing an ancestral grave from the Qing Dynasty, he found a large pit dug out. He suspects it was grave robbers. “After the family elders found out, they were extremely furious.” The police have already gotten involved.

On March 31, Mr. Long, who was working in Guizhou, reported to a reporter from The Xiaoxiang Morning Post · Morning Video, saying that his family’s ancestral grave near Boyang Town in Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Huaihua City, Hunan Province had been dug out into a large pit. Mr. Long suspects someone robbed graves. “What was dug open was my ancestor’s mother’s tomb. In the Qing Dynasty, my ancestor was a major local landlord, so he was buried beside his mother.” Mr. Long called 110 to report it. He said that after the officers arrived, they took photos and conducted on-site inspection.

△ The large pit that was dug open; provided by the interviewee.

On the afternoon of March 29, in rainy weather, Mr. Long and 5 other relatives went to the mountains about 5 kilometers from Boyang Town. They planned to repair a tombstone in their family’s grave area, in preparation for tomb-sweeping for the upcoming Qingming Festival. He suddenly noticed that another grave had been dug out into a large pit. “We were all stunned.” Mr. Long described that the pit was square-shaped, about 60 centimeters wide and about 1 meter long. Some soil had already been backfilled in the pit, with moss growing and leaves covering it. “Judging by the situation, it has been dug open for at least half a year.” Mr. Long suspects grave robbers.

After discovering the large pit, to protect the scene, Mr. Long and the others did not open the soil to check what condition the inner coffin was in. As for whether the remains were damaged and whether any items were missing, Mr. Long did not know.

Mr. Long told the reporter that the grave that was dug open was where his ancestor’s mother, Mrs. Zhang, was buried, right next to where his ancestor was buried. His ancestor’s name was Long Shicheng, who has been dead for more than 200 years. During the Qing Dynasty, he bought up large amounts of mountain forests and farmland to become a landlord in the area, mainly active in Hunan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. “The hill where the cemetery is located is called Shicheng Mountain, which my ancestor bought back at the time, so it’s named after him,” Mr. Long said. He added that there was a legend that his ancestor had been recommended for an official post but did not end up taking office, while his friend served as a county official.

△ Mrs. Zhang’s tombstone on the left and Long Shicheng’s tombstone on the right; provided by the interviewee.

“After the grave robbers dug the pit, they may have dug a tunnel from the side and dug into the remains of my ancestor Long Shicheng,” Mr. Long said. He said that once the family elders found out, “they were furious. In the superstitious saying in our area, digging up someone’s ancestral grave brings trouble upon their descendants.” After discovering the large pit, Mr. Long called 110 to report it. He said: After the officers arrived at the scene, they took photos and conducted on-site inspection.

On the 31st, the reporter called the Boyang Town Police Station. A staff member said that at around 2 p.m. on the 29th, they received Mr. Long’s report. The police officers immediately dispatched within 5 minutes. After arriving, they contacted the person who reported it. “The feedback from the responding officers was that the ancestral grave had been dug up ‘a little bit,’ not that it was severely dug up. It did not involve property loss,” the staff member said.

“We also don’t know whether there were burial objects inside. Mainly it’s mental harm,” Mr. Long said. He added: “After the grave robbers are caught, we will repair the damaged tombs.”

By Wen Xin, a reporter from The Xiaoxiang Morning Post · Morning Video

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