An ancient legend in Xinxiang area
A long time ago, no one knows which period it was. People believe that after a person reaches their sixties, they lose their ability to work and cannot produce material wealth for society, which consumes food and social resources and increases social burdens. At that time, the law stipulated that after a person reaches the age of 60, he must enter a burial tomb - that is, a living person's tomb. After being given a certain amount of food or a limited amount of food within a limited time, they will starve to death in the tomb, live and die on their own, and remain silent in the tomb.
Burial through the tomb is a system in which a living person enters and is sealed until there is a hole as big as a bowl. Food is provided during the period. When the period expires and the person dies, the hole is blocked.
Legend has it that one year, a small Western country wanted to break away from China's control, peek at the strength of the Celestial Dynasty, and challenge the emperor's authority. It was customary to offer foreign objects as tribute to the Celestial Empire to test Chinese talents. It was shaped like a rat and as big as an ox, but no one in the court knew what it was. Not recognizing foreign objects is a small matter, but the power of the fallen God is a big deal. This matter is related to war and peace, and the life and death of countless people!
The imperial court was furious and issued an edict to reward those in the country who could identify foreign objects.
There was a young man who delivered food to his old father. Before he was buried in the tomb, he told his father in detail. The old father pondered for a long time in the cave, and then said to his son that you are like this and that...
The next day, his son entered the capital with the announcement, but he did not give a direct answer in the court. He came to the evil beast, with a cat exposed from his sleeve, pinching the cat's tail, "Meow...!" As the cat screamed, the evil beast shrank all over and peed on the ground. The emperor was furious, and he stood up and shouted: "How dare you, a small country in the west, to despise the great kingdom of heaven and threaten no one in China with a rat..." He ordered the warriors in front of the palace to take heavy responsibility for the envoys. From then on, all the countries surrendered and the world was peaceful. .
Afterwards, the emperor asked the young man how he knew it and what reward he wanted. The young man said that it was his father who was buried in the tomb as a sign, and he did not ask for a large reward, but only wanted to pardon his father and live for a long time. After the emperor held a meeting with his ministers to study, it was officially announced that although the elderly are old and frail and cannot directly create material wealth, they possess precious spiritual wealth and are also an indispensable resource for the country. The system of burials in tombs has since been banned.
In 1979, I was still in Fahai Temple Primary School in Dali Village, Xinxiang City. This year, a villager discovered a cross-burial tomb about a hundred meters northeast of Fahai Temple. I went to the scene to watch it after school. His tomb was made of blue bricks with a dome, and the site was in a mess. There were residual bricks, broken porcelain, clay, and pottery, but no yellow or white valuables. At that time, the relevant departments of the People's Commune concluded that it was of little value and disappeared without a trace.