Exploration prose of sea burial tomb

On July 18, Director Xing and I went to Paiwei Corner, Longtang Town, located on the southeast coast of xuwen county, with the director of the Cultural Relics Department of the New Municipal Bureau, reporter Zheng of Zhanjiang Evening News and special correspondent Zhang Photographer to excavate the sea burial tomb.

The car reached the tail corner, crossed a dirt road and galloped slowly to the seaside. We got off the bus and stood by the sea. The sun is burning. In the distance, the high-rise buildings in Haikou are faintly visible, just like a mirage; Nearby is a long and narrow strip island, which extends southward to the blue reef. In the far west, Baishawan Beach is like a silver ribbon on the seashore, with coconut trees and Casuarina forest belts growing along the coast, like a green barrier.

About 200 meters away from the front coast, there is an isolated island at sea formed by tidal fluctuations. The island is dotted with grotesque black reefs, solidified volcanic rocks and dark brown gravel soil. The tomb is located on the west side of the island and is conical.

When the tide ebbs, walk along the shore and step on the exposed rocks, and you can go directly to the island. But we came half a beat late, and the tide was high. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our trouser legs and tried to wade across the reef, but the reef was so smooth that it was difficult to stand firm and was in danger of falling at any time. In desperation, we had to ferry.

Where can I find a boat when I cross the boat? Fortunately, Master Zhang is miraculous. He usually travels in Xu Wen's footsteps and is very familiar with the people here. People in Tangkou Village are also very enthusiastic. As soon as Master Zhang called, he called the boatman and took us to the isolated island by boat.

We got on a motorboat in a small port on the shore. The boatman said that this safe haven was not natural, but was built by several fishermen themselves. The harbor is small, surrounded by tall stones, and there are not many ships moored.

The boatman's name is Zhang Hua, about 50 years old. He and his wife, one standing at the bow and the other at the stern, each holding a mast, tried their best to slowly support the ship out of the port, then started the engine at the bow, and the ship chugged to the isolated island in front under the slight sea breeze and scorching sun. Inspired, reporters and photographers stood in a good position and chose the right angle to take pictures of ships moving in the sea and berthing on the island.

On the island, a tomb composed of irregular volcanic rocks and protein came into my sight. There is no monument in front of the tomb, and there is a stone tablet next to it. It is said that this monument was built in the 1970s. Inscriptions in large and small fonts are written in red paint on the monument. Due to the long-term weathering of the inscription, some handwriting is faintly visible and some are difficult to identify. But standing in front of the tomb and looking down carefully, we can still see why the owners of the tomb are mother Hongru and mother Pan Xuru. He Mu is from Xialiao Village, Procedural River, and Pan Mu is from Tangkou Village, Panzhai. It is a tomb buried with him, which was buried in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty. As for why they were buried together, there is no way to prove it.

Perhaps it is because of the need of the people to sweep the graves to enjoy the cool every year. There is a sea hemp tree in the north and south of the tomb. Hemp trees are suitable for growing by the sea. But the sea hemp tree in the south is dead, and the one in the north has grown green leaves. There are two huge stones in the southeast of the tomb. It is engraved with red characters "Tangkou Village" and "March 22nd" respectively.

Our arrival also brought a halo to the descendants of the tomb owner. After hearing the news, Pan Lao, a descendant of the tomb owner, and the cadres in the village came from Tangkou Village, 80 kilometers away with a red genealogy, which shows their nostalgia and infinite awe for the deceased. Pan Lao, who is over 70 years old, is thin and dark, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt, kneeling in front of the tomb, with his right hand on his right knee and his left hand pointing at the tombstone, telling us that Xu Mu is his great-grandmother. During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, there were frequent disturbances and the people were poor. My great-grandmother escaped from Hainan and even died and was buried in Hainan. Later, Pan Lao's grandfather moved her great-grandmother here. Pan Lao's grandfather was a geomancer at that time, and he was famous for driving dragons to see the land. He found this isolated island a rare treasure trove of geomantic omen, so he moved his mother, Pan Lao's great-grandmother, from Hainan to be buried.

The head of Tangkou Village is also Pan Shi, named Pan Wenzeng. He first opened the genealogy of red paper, and then pointed to the genealogy, saying that the owner of the tomb was the Xu family, the wife of the Qing scholar Ying Jianggong, and who the Xu family was could not be traced back, which was undeniable.

Strangely, after the great-grandmother moved to the buried island, she suffered many typhoons, heavy rains and high tides, but the tide did not drown the grave, only the tide reached the lower edge of the lying monument. At the foot of the tomb, you can also see the traces of fine sand left by the waves, round and round.

Every year, March 22nd of the lunar calendar is the day when Pan clan members gather in the isolated island to sweep graves. Pan Lao told us that March 22nd of the lunar calendar is the time when the sea ebbs. At this time, when sweeping the grave, you can step on the exposed stones at low tide and go to the reef island without ferry. The stone tablet reads "March 22nd", apparently to remind people not to forget the day of worship.

When we left the island and stood on the shore and looked back, the tomb standing on the island was still vague. I can't help asking myself, does this tomb belong to sea burial? In order to find out this problem, I immediately turned on my mobile phone and used Baidu to search for the meaning of "sea burial". Baidu search told me that "sea burial" refers to "a funeral way of throwing a body into the sea or scattering ashes into the sea". Sea burial leaves no trace, but the tomb on the isolated island leaves a tomb bag, which shows that it is a stone tomb at sea. It is said that sea burial tombs have been found in Xuwen coastal areas in the past, but it is hard to find them now.

Volcanic sea burial tombs effectively solve the problem that the traditional sea burial mode scatters ashes into the ocean and relatives can't mourn. Explore the sea burial tomb and leave a profound revelation!