kingnovel Chapter 662: Protect First, Develop Later
Chapter 662: Protect First, Develop Later
"Xiao Gu, your luck is unmatched!"
After arranging the members of the provincial archaeological team, Deputy Mayor Wu called Gu Chang again. There was a hint of excitement and envy in his tone.
"This tourist area is lacking a landmark attraction. Now, God has sent you a huge tomb!"
Gu Chang was also surprised when he heard the news. He smiled and replied, "I didn't expect that there would be an ancient tomb in such a remote place like Huqiu Village!"
"That's normal. The ancients were afraid that their tombs would be robbed after their death, so they built their tombs in hidden places," Deputy Mayor Wu explained.
Gu Chang nodded to show his understanding. He imagined the ancient people's painstaking efforts to protect their tombs, and couldn't help but sigh at the wisdom and prudence of the ancients.
"However, although this tomb has been discovered, it does not mean that archaeological excavations will be carried out on it." Deputy Mayor Wu suddenly changed the subject and his tone became serious.
"Oh? Why is that?" Gu Chang asked curiously. He originally thought that once an ancient tomb was discovered, archaeological work would be carried out immediately.
"Today, archaeological excavations of tombs are either forced rescue excavations or they are only started after tomb robbers have robbed them," Deputy Mayor Wu explained in detail.
"Because this involves a principle in the archaeological community..."
After hearing what Vice Mayor Wu said, Gu Chang became curious and asked, "What principle?"
"That means not actively excavating tombs," Deputy Mayor Wu explained. "That means that even if archaeologists discover an ancient tomb somewhere underground, unless they are sure it has been damaged or looted, they usually make a record instead of digging it up."
"Why is this? Why not dig?" Gu Chang became even more curious!
"There are many reasons, the most direct reason is the shame of a certain shameless intellectual!" Deputy Mayor Wu said indignantly.
"In 1957, at the urging of a certain scholar, archaeological excavations were initiated at the Dingling Mausoleum of Zhu Yijun, the Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."
"The results of the excavation are gratifying. More than 3000 items of gold, silver, jade, jewelry, and clothing were unearthed, including the emperor's dragon robe, the empress's silk embroidered dress with hundreds of children, and the gold-threaded Yishan crown."
"The Emperor's Mausoleum? Wouldn't that be a major event in the archaeological world?" Gu Chang exclaimed when he heard that so many cultural relics had been excavated.
"A grand event? It's a disaster! A huge disaster!"
"What is unexpected is that this is the beginning of tragedy!"
Deputy Mayor Wu sighed!
"First, the remains of Emperor Wanli and his empress were burned, and then the golden nanmu coffin was discarded and picked up by farmers to make furniture!"
"When the news came out, the whole society was shocked and angry. These precious historical relics should have been properly protected and studied, but they were treated so cruelly. People condemned the acts of destroying cultural relics and called for stronger protection of cultural heritage."
"However, the matter did not end there. The series of events that followed were even more heartbreaking."
"Due to technical limitations, the restoration and protection of unearthed cultural relics has encountered many difficulties. Many cultural relics have been gradually damaged or even disappeared because they could not be properly handled in a timely manner."
"Due to the serious lack and backwardness of technical protection methods, a large number of precious cultural relics have suffered irreparable damage. For example, someone foolishly sprayed glass liquid directly on silk. However, after just a few years, the glass liquid began to age and crack, and ruthlessly turned the silk into slag."
"It is no exaggeration to say that this archaeological excavation of the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum is a huge disaster in the history of cultural relics protection!"
"Countless priceless and extremely precious cultural relics were originally quietly buried deep underground, isolated from the world, and would never decay. But now, they are suddenly exposed to the world and destroyed in an instant!"
"This shameful scholar's behavior is simply a blasphemy against cultural heritage. He should be firmly tied to the pillar of shame in history and be spurned by future generations!"
Deputy Mayor Wu was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes and he rebuked angrily.
"Since then, the entire archaeological community has fallen into deep reflection and self-blame, and they have decided not to take the initiative to excavate ancient tombs."
"With our current technology, every excavation is an intrusion into the resting place of the ancients and a destruction of historical and cultural heritage."
"It was also from then on that the archaeological community learned from their mistakes and established the principle of not actively excavating ancient tombs."
Hearing this, Gu Chang couldn't help but sigh: "Oh! It turns out that there is such a history behind this!" His heart was filled with emotion and regret.
After listening to Vice Mayor Wu's story, Gu Chang also sighed and said, "Alas! How many precious treasures of Chinese culture have been destroyed by these historical sinners in the long river of history!"
"Therefore, no matter which dynasty this ancient tomb belongs to and how much historical value it has, I hope you can protect it properly, or at least prevent it from being damaged in any way." Deputy Mayor Wu said seriously.
Gu Chang's eyes were solemn, and he said firmly: "Please rest assured, Deputy Mayor Wu, I am well aware of the importance and value of these cultural relics and monuments, and I will never ignore them for the sake of short-term economic benefits."
"It is the responsibility of each of us to protect these cultural heritages. I will do my utmost to ensure that they are properly protected and passed on."
After hearing this, Deputy Mayor Wu's worries gradually dissipated. He nodded with satisfaction, expressing his trust and support for Gu Chang.
Whenever he thought of the Ming Dingling incident that had happened, it was such a painful lesson!
Today, many places are doing whatever it takes to promote tourism and pursue economic growth.
They may neglect the protection of genuine cultural relics and monuments, or even destroy them in exchange for temporary prosperity.
At the same time, some false imitations stand in major tourist areas to confuse visitors.
This phenomenon makes people sigh and say that it is the sadness of the times.
At this time, after a careful investigation by the provincial archaeological team, preliminary conclusions were finally reached about the basic situation of this ancient tomb.