The Night Pearl

[Yang Hao]

I thought I would post this story as this forum is about treasure legends.

A lost priceless treasure of China. Cixi's Night Pearl.

This story begins from 《孙殿英东陵盗宝记》Sun Dian Ying dong ling dao bao ji. Which translates into Sun Dian Ying robbing the Eastern Tombs journal.

Actually the story goes further back but it was this tomb robbing where the item disappeared.

The year was 1762. The Afghanistan King Ahmed Shah Abdali sent a diplomatic mission to China to visit the Qing Dynasty Emperor at the time QianLong. It was on that mission the Chinese emperor was presented a gift. It was a glowing jewel called Ye Mingzhu 夜明珠 which translates into "The Night Pearl". It is said this night pearl is luminous and could glow in the dark.

As the years went by this pearl was handed down from emperor to emperor until it was given to the Empress Cixi 慈禧 also know in english as Empress Dowager.

When she passed away in 1908 The Night Pearl was buried with her in the Eastern Tombs which are in Shen Yang a city in the north east of China.

In 1928 a soldier by the name of Sun Dian Ying robbed the tomb of many of its treasures including, according to the records, treasure number 50 The Night Pearl.

After that it's not 100% known where it went. It may have ended up in the hands of 宋美龄 Song Mei Ling (english name Soong-Meiling) 蒋介石 Jiang Jie Shi's (english name Chiang Kai-shek) second wife.

There is a story, but not confirmed, of Song Mei Ling attending a dance ball when suddenly the power went out. It was pitch black except for one of Song Mei Ling's shoes which had a bright glow that lit up the dance floor.

Further to that story when Song Mei Ling moved to America she fell into hard times and ended up selling The Night Pearl to oil tycoon Rockefeller where it's in the Rockefeller private collection to this day. However, that is just a rumor with no factual evidence to back it up.

As for what this pearl is made of that is unclear. However, in Chinese it is classified as a 金刚石 jin gang shi (diamond). Some experts believe it might be made of fluorite 萤石 ying shi.

 

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[Crow]

Gidday Yang Hao

Thank you for the interesting story. I think here is picture of Sun Dianying below? Known as a bandit general who changed sides several times during the Chinese civil war.



And the tombs he looted below....



But a lot of things happened in years between 1928 and 1947.

When the Second Sino-Japanese War was over, Sun participated in the civil war on the side of the Nationalists. He was eventually defeated by PLA forces and taken prisoner in 1946 or 1947? It was alleged he died in the POW camp of Wuan?

more on the looting.....

The looting operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves. Ordinary soldiers were eventually allowed to take the leftovers.


The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Empress Dowager Cixi, such as .jadite watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral. They snatched objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her undergarments, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body.

The looters even pried open her jaws and took the rare pearl from her mouth. That must of been the famous Night pearl?

As for the story of the pearl coming into the hands of Song Mei Ling the wife of Chiang Kai-shek below?



I am not convinced Sun Dianying would part with such a artifact as his loyalties was only to wealth and money. There was no love lost between Sun Dianying and Chiang Kai-shek. Both mistrusted each other.

But there may be other possibilities where this pearl ended up?

Crow

 

[Crow]

I suspect the alleged "night pearl"" is in the top of Empress Dowager Cixi head piece in the picture below. It was actually a large fluorite stone also from India known mo mo stone as it trapped light and glowed in the dark. Sometimes referred to as the "Night pearl". Because of the connection to Empress Dowager Cixi obsession with pearls. And with with the fact it glowed in the Dark. Below on the head dress is the Miracle of the Sea Pearl, Below the night Pearl.





Crow

 

[Crow]

The above pearl in the last post was known by various names "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" also known as the "Miracle of the Sea" is believed to have been owned at one time by Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi (Cixi), the widow of Emperor Xianfeng, who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty after her husband's death in 1861, and ruled China for 48 years, until her death in 1908.

After Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi's death, an enormous pearl, the size of a robin's egg, was placed in her mouth, in keeping with Chinese imperial custom, to protect the corpse from decomposition. Her coffin was then filled with pearls, diamonds and other precious jewels, and placed in a tomb, amidst the Eastern Qing Tombs, a lavish grandiose complex of temples, gates and pavilions, covered with gold leaf, and with ornaments made of gold and gilded-bronze, hanging from the beams and eaves. The tomb was constructed by the Empress herself, during her period of rule, in 1895.

However, in July 1928, Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi's tomb was desecrated and all its precious ornaments plundered, including the massive pearl placed in her mouth, by the Kuomintang General Sun Dianying and his army. Most of the plundered jewels eventually found their way to Hong Kong, which became a dependant territory of the United Kingdom in 1842, and subsequently a free port and entrepot of the the British Empire.

One thing for sure after viewing the catalogue of the auctioneers Christie who sold of the Rockefeller foundation collection of artwork jewellery there is no record of it. So the story of it ended up in Rockafeller foundation was just a legend.

The looted jewels, that were purchased by western companies based in Hong Kong, eventually ended up in the Western countries. It is not known exactly how the "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" reached the British colony of Hong Kong, but it is known for certain that the enormous pearl was purchased in Hong Kong by the renowned United States based company dealing in pearls, "Imperial Pearl Syndicate" in the 1940s.

Thus the name "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" seems to be a reflection of both the name of the company, "Imperial Pearl Syndicate," as well as the country where the pearl was purchased. Perhaps, the name may also signify the imperial provenance of the renowned pearl, being owned at one time by one of the most powerful empresses in Chinese history, Empress Dowager Tz'u-Hsi.



The "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" aka the "Miracle of the Sea" is an enormous silvery white, baroque pearl with an irregular drop-shape and having dimensions of 26 x 39 mm, and a weight of 25.5 grams, equivalent to 127.5 carats or 510.0 grains. It is one of the largest nacreous pearls discovered in the world, believed to have originated in a saltwater oyster species, known as Pinctada maxima, common in the South Seas between Southern China and Northern Australia.

the Imperial Pearl Syndicate, that was founded by Joseph Goldstone in 1932. Today, the enormous natural baroque pearl remains one of the valued possessions of the company. Here is pearl today in an entirely different setting as a pendant. the rounded top part of pendant was the front you saw in picture of pearl in in the centre of Empress Dowager Cixi head piece



However the term the night pearl was rather misleading because the object in question was never a pearl. It was a semi precious stone fluorite that absorbed light and glowed intensely.



The Ye Ming Zhu which the emperors possessed is known as Ancient Ye Ming Zhu signifying it being found in the ground. It is found primarily in china, is extremely rare and even more expensive. With the record holder weighing in at 6.1 tons and valued at 3.1 billion dollars its no wonder why we have yet to see these. It is most common to find Ancient Ye Ming Zhu with fluorite however on occasion it can be found with a few dozen other minerals including jade, meteor, fossil and diamond. Regardless of the mineral it’s found with in order for it to be considered Ancient Ye Ming Zhu it must contain a combination of rare earth elements allowing it to send and receive light


Crow

 

[Crow]

If as claimed the "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" aka the "Miracle of the Sea"Peal was looted from the mouth of the corpse of Empress Dowager Cixi.



Here is here alleged coffin below.



And inner tomb below.



What if the "night pearl" taken from the mouth at the same time by the same person? Thus we imagine a hypothesis that both artifacts was sold by that same person into the hands the Imperial Pearl Syndicate jewelers in Hong Kong? But of course there is another that the stone ended up in the hands of another that never sold the stone to the Imperial Pearl Syndicate jewelers?

There is 4 years between the looting in 1928 and purchase by Imperial Pearl Syndicate of "Imperial Hong Kong Pearl" aka the "Miracle of the Sea"Pearl in 1932 We have to look at where our suspect Sun Dianying was in years between 1928 and 1932?

Crow

 

[Crow]

Maybe the search should focus on Sun Dianying's residence in 1930? 20/22 munan ave Nu Nan Dao Tianjin






Crow

 

[Crow]

Today the company Imperial Pearl Syndicate in Hong Kong does not tech technically exist. Imperial was founded by Joseph Gladstone in 1917, later renamed the Imperial Pearl Syndicate in 1941. It was during the post-war period that Imperial became the first to bring the valued Akoya pearls to the United States from Japan. A unique marketing campaign helped to establish brand recognition throughout the 1940's and 1950's. Both Imperial and Deltah pearls were marketed in ads featuring some of America's most notable theatre icons, including Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley Temple, Loretta Young.


Gladstone sold the company to Sidney Weiss in 1969, who then sold it to the Waltham Watch Company in 1971. During Waltham's ownership, Imperial virtually abandoned its cultured pearl business and diversified into simulated pearls and gold-filled jewelry.


Under the leadership of Banice Bazar, whose Bazar Inc. purchased Imperial in 1977, the company's leadership role in the cultured pearl market was reestablished, as the demand for both cultured and simulated pearls boomed during the following decade.


The Bazar Group also includes Giovanni Jewelry. Founded in 1959, Giovanni's jewelry manufacturing business was originally based in nearby Providence, Rhode Island. Bazar acquired the firm in 1973 and its operations have since relocated to the main East Providence, Rhode Island facility where Imperial-Deltah is based. Giovanni is an importer of costume jewelry.


On June 1, 1995, Imperial Pearl Syndicate and Pearls by Deltah were merged to form Imperial-Deltah, Inc. The merger created a company that is now one of the world's leading pearl companies servicing a broad-based clientele, including department stores, volume jewelry retailers, independent jewelry firms, television networks, Internet retailers, wholesale clubs, recognition companies, and military exchange services. With a state-of-the art manufacturing facility in Rhode Island and China, the Company prides itself on superior product design and customer service, offering Tahitian, Chinese freshwater, South Seas, and Akoya pearls.

While the company clearly mention the acquisition of Hong Kong Pearl" aka the "Miracle of the Sea"Pearl belonging Empress Dowager Cixi there is no mention of this legendary night pearl?

Crow

 

[Crow]

World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), Wednesday 16 January 1929, page 29 gives the following list of items stolen.



World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), Wednesday 16 January 1929, page 29

---

Loot! £3,000,000 Gems Stolen



On November 15. 1908, the day after the death of the Emperor Kuang Hsu, the Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi, for so many years the ruler of China, in fact if not in name, fell dead.


The funeral ceremonies of the Empress Dowager were probably as impressive as those of any of the great rulers of China. In the tomb or coffin were placed the following treasures, the values of which are also given:

Mattress of gold thread £13,000 Inwoven were 2100 pearls, weighing over two pounds, also 10,500 seed pearls, rubies, sapphires, and hyacinths numbering 87, and 203emeralds and white jade ...... £131,000 Layer of 2400 pearls £48,000 Silk-embroidered coverlet with image of Buddha £3,300 On the coverlet 1320 pearls £3,M0 Jade lotus-leaf ornament 11

ounces £127,000 Emerald lotus flower, weight 36 ounces £118,000 Rope of pearls worn by the Empress,420 large pearls, 1000 medium, and 4500 small pearls, with 113b other gems £180,000 Mirror inset with 800 pearls and 35 gems £26,000 Tolo pall embroidered with 820 large pearls £22,000 Three Court necklaces, two of pearls, and one rubies £370,000 Chaplet of pearls on the head of the Empress, with one pearl alone weighing 4 ounces . ..£1,500,000 Twenty-seven golden Buddhas,

weighing 8 ounces each, 27 jade Buddhas weighing 6 ounces each, j and 27 gem Buddhas £100,000 j Two jade water-melons, with green ]rind, red fruit, and white seeds, and four sweet melons, also in jade £460,000 Ten jade peaches, 100 jasper pears,60 sapphire apricots, 40 ruby dates £14,000 Gem lotus root £170,000 Two cabbages with green leaves and

white hearts, on which were crickets of yellow gems and wasps,also of gems £12,000 One red-coral tree by the Empress's

side, with cherries and a jade bird in its branches £78,000 On the body were laid 500 large pearls, 1000 medium pearls, and 2200 small pearls, with 2200 sapphires £365,000 Network pearl coverlet, woven, of 6000 pearls —, —«... £34,000 Forty-eight Tibetan Buddhas inwhite jade £8,000.

Total value —... £3,781,700

Of this treasure there Is now hardly a tenth remaining. When the Manchu Princes visited the Imperial tombs after they were looted they found the body of the Empress lying among the shattered remains of her coffin, naked but for a few rags of her Imperial yellow silk robes.


Practically nothing was left of all the splendor with which she had been entombed.





Crow

 

[Yang Hao]

Sorry I've been busy with pre Han Dynasty ancient text research and just got back to this topic. I'm not sure what tangent crow went on with this thread but getting back to its actual topic, according to my Chinese language research on the "Night Pearl"( China star) a paper in 2004 written by by Dr. Wang Chun Yun has strong proof the pearl/diamond that was in Cixi's mouth is actually the original stone named the "Mughal great diamond" by Shah Jahan of the Mughal Dynasty in India, which has been lost for nearly 350 years. Dr Wang goes onto explain it was most likely taken during the 8 expeditions to the Mughal Dynasty in India by Ahmed Shah, King of Afghanistan. Then as I explained before was given to Qianlong and passed down from there. Also on Chinese language sites the consensus is the "Pearl" (it is not actually a pearl but I explained that in my first post) did land into the hands of Song Mei Ling. After that is it now lost.

 

[Crow]

Hello Hao

Thanks for the update.

Perhaps its more politically correct to remain lost? And to be much better for the Chinese communist party to demonize Song Mei Lingin in anti Chinese nationalist propaganda for its loss?

There is only speculation that she had it fostered by the "shoe story" at the time during the civil war. While indeed Song Mei Lingin I suggest she was no angel. The story of her her sisters and division of the Chinese civil war was an interesting one. She was avid collector of jade jewellery when she died her collection came up for sale Christie's Auction house. There never in her time she was ever broke enough to sell such prestigious jewel if she had it.

Here is some of Song Mei Lingin beautiful jade pieces below.





As you said yourself in your words below.

There is a story, but not confirmed, of Song Mei Ling attending a dance ball when suddenly the power went out. It was pitch black except for one of Song Mei Ling's shoes which had a bright glow that lit up the dance floor.

So now your saying that is fact?
Crow

 

[Yang Hao]

该文引用孙殿英的话说：“她（慈禧）口里含着一颗夜明珠，分开是两块，合拢就是一个圆球，分开透明无光，合拢时透出一道绿色寒光，夜间百步之内可照见头发。听说这宝贝可使尸体不化，难怪慈禧的棺材劈开后，老佛爷像睡觉一样，只是见了风、脸才发黑，衣服也有些上不得手了。我把夜明珠托雨农代我赠给蒋夫人（宋美龄）。”
Sun dianying is quoted as saying: "she (Cixi) has a pearl in her mouth, which is divided into two pieces. When it is closed, it is a round ball. When it is closed, it emits a cold green light, and her hair can be seen within a hundred steps at night. It's said that the baby (diamond/pearl) can make the corpse not melt. No wonder after Cixi's coffin was split, the old Buddha was like sleeping. Only when he saw the wind, his face turned black, and his clothes were not good enough. I gave the night pearl to Mrs. Jiang (Soong Mei Ling) on behalf of Yu Nong. "

It’s just a crude translation of what he is quoted as saying. The last sentence explains that he gave it to her on behalf of a higher official in the KMT called Yu Nong.

I didn’t say she has the pearl but the consensus from the Chinese sites regarding the subject is she was in possession of the pearl.

Furthermore if the pearl could be split the halves could have been placed on a pair of shoes (not just one shoe I mentioned in a previous post) and those shoes could have glowed in the dark.

There are many Chinese articles talking about the pearl being inlaid on a pair of shoes which she wore to many functions. One article mentioned after she went to America the shoes were not seen again.

 

[Crow]

Gidday Yang Hao

Thank you for the update. I have another document to show you.

Cheers Crow

 

[Imperial]

I would like to revive this thread and add to the current discussion with a list of treasures that were placed inside of the 'Golden Well' that was located beneath the coffin of the Empress Dowager Cixi and this 'well', or chamber, had been furnished with treasures 6 times over the course of the mausoleum's construction under the direct orders of the Empress Cixi herself.

The underground burial chamber of Ci-Xi Imperial Dowager Empress, which was heavily looted by the Chinese soldiers of Sun Dianying in 1928.

Palace records indicate that the following treasures were placed inside:

"What treasures did Cixi put in the golden well during her lifetime? According to the records of the Qing Palace archives "Daxing Empress Dowager Shengya Records", six batches of treasures were put in successively.

The first batch of treasures was placed on March 25th in the fifth year of Guangxu. At that time, Cixi Mausoleum had not been officially completed. Put into the gold well are: a pair of golden jujube flower flat bracelets, and a green jade Fushousan Duo.

The second batch was put in on March 12th in the twelfth year of Guangxu, including: a red tourmaline inlaid with emerald green Bessie, and a red tourmaline longevity character pendant.

The third batch was placed on the 19th day of the 16th year of the Guangxu reign on February 19th. A set of Zhengzhu bracelets, a piece of yellow tourmaline grape mouse pendant, a red tourmaline gourd bat pendant, and a green jade buddha hand crossbow were put in. , a red tourmaline Double Happiness adornment.

The fourth batch was put in on the 10th day of March in the 28th year of Guangxu. There is a natural small Ruyi handle of white jade Ganoderma lucidum, a white jade openworked Kuilongtian Yudizhi Zhuanxin wall pendant, and a red biscuit."

These treasures were subsequently lost during the looting of her mausoleum by warlord Sun Dianying in 1928, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.

Does anybody know if any of Cixi's lost artifacts aside from the night pearl have been subsequently located and identified?

 

[Imperial]

I've also found this piece of information in regards to the size of the night pearl, which is apparently calculated at 787.28 carats, which if true means the night pearl would have weighed 157.4 grams.

 

[Crow]

According to "Diary of Moon Loving Pavilion" by Li Lianying, Cixi's favorite court eunuch, her tomb was filled with treasures: Within her coffin were 108 golden and jade Buddha statues, eight jade horses, a jade pagoda, 203 white jade pieces, 85 moonlight jade pieces and 24,704 pearls. Her mouth held a luminous pearl the size of a pigeon egg, which was believed at the time to prevent decomposition.

A jade seal was auction at southerbys

A Massive Imperial Celadon Jade 'Tihe Dian Zhenshang' Seal. Qing Dynasty, Seal Of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) - Photo Sotheby's

of large square form, surmounted by a well-carved pair of addorsed dragons, each powerfully carved with piercing eyes and nostrils flaring above curling whiskers and clenched-open mouths bearing sharp fangs, the two scaly bodies tightly intertwined and crouching on the haunches, pierced through the centre with an aperture, the square seal deeply carved with the characters Tihe Dian zhenshang ('Treasured and Appreciated at the Hall of Embodied Harmony') in intaglio script (yinwen), the stone of light green tone with natural veining; 10 by 12.7 by 12.7 cm., 3 7/8 by 5 by 5 in. Estimation: 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 HKD. Lot. Vendu 2,660,000 HKD
It should be noted Empress Dowager Cixi had at least 40 of these jade seals.
PROVENANCE: Phol, Paris, 1905.
Emile Guimet Collection (inventory ref. EG 1718).

It appears some Jade artifacts artifact turned up in the united states in Philadelphia and other pieces in collections all around the world.

Also looted from Cixi was the famous peal cape.

Cixi is wearing the famous pearl cape of her own design. According to Der Ling, the English-speaking lady in waiting who translated for Cixi, the cape contained “3,500 pearls of perfect shape and color.” Mind you, these were natural pearls: modern techniques for culturing pearls hadn’t been invented yet. If this cape still existed—if it hadn’t been looted from Cixi’s tomb in 1928 along with all her other favorite jewels—it would be worth an astronomical amount of money.

The pearl cape and the night pearl remains a mystery?


Crow

 

[Crow]

On June 12, 1928, Sun Dianying ordered a large-scale graverobbing operation that removed almost all the underground funeral objects of the Huifeiling and Yuling Mausoleums and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling. Ma Futian, Regimental Commander in the 28th Army of Zhang Zuolin, had quietly occupied Malanyu. Sun Dianying ordered Tan Wenjiang, one of his division commanders, to capture the tomb area.

At dawn on July 2, Ma Futian was driven away and Tan's army looted the mausoleums in Malanyu. After that, Sun's army went straight to the area of the Eastern Qing Tombs, pretending to engage in war exercises in the area. Tan Wenjiang placed policemen all around, denying access to the area and signs declared the army was "protecting the Tombs" to prevent interference.

The looting operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves.
Ordinary soldiers were eventually allowed to take the leftovers.

The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Empress Dowager Cixi, such as jadeite watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral.

They snatched objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her undergarments, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body. The looters even pried open her jaws and took the rare pearl from her mouth. Ultimately, they looted the objects under the coffin that had been favorites of Cixi when she was alive.

There was pair of jade hair pins only one of them them has turned up was other lost of Cixis corpse.

Crow

 

[Imperial]

On June 12, 1928, Sun Dianying ordered a large-scale graverobbing operation that removed almost all the underground funeral objects of the Huifeiling and Yuling Mausoleums and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling. Ma Futian, Regimental Commander in the 28th Army of Zhang Zuolin, had quietly occupied Malanyu. Sun Dianying ordered Tan Wenjiang, one of his division commanders, to capture the tomb area.

At dawn on July 2, Ma Futian was driven away and Tan's army looted the mausoleums in Malanyu. After that, Sun's army went straight to the area of the Eastern Qing Tombs, pretending to engage in war exercises in the area. Tan Wenjiang placed policemen all around, denying access to the area and signs declared the army was "protecting the Tombs" to prevent interference.

The looting operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves.
Ordinary soldiers were eventually allowed to take the leftovers.

The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Empress Dowager Cixi, such as jadeite watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral.

They snatched objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her undergarments, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body. The looters even pried open her jaws and took the rare pearl from her mouth. Ultimately, they looted the objects under the coffin that had been favorites of Cixi when she was alive.

There was pair of jade hair pins only one of them them has turned up was other lost of Cixis corpse.

View attachment 2108962

Crow

Thanks Crow that's really interesting, I'm fascinated to learn more about the objects that have been subsequently recovered.

I'm especially interested in this story because there's a small chance I may own one of the objects that was placed by Cixi into the 'golden well' before her death. The object in question is the 'red tourmaline gourd bat pendant'.

Do you know how I can find the original reference that is apparently in the "Daxing Empress Dowager Shengya Records" in the Qing Palace records?

I can't find any other reference to these records on the internet anywhere.

 

[Imperial]

This essay describes the night pearl as a 'blackly shining pearl', therefore was it possibly a large black pearl?

 

[Imperial]

On June 12, 1928, Sun Dianying ordered a large-scale graverobbing operation that removed almost all the underground funeral objects of the Huifeiling and Yuling Mausoleums and the underground palace of Puxiangyu East Dingling. Ma Futian, Regimental Commander in the 28th Army of Zhang Zuolin, had quietly occupied Malanyu. Sun Dianying ordered Tan Wenjiang, one of his division commanders, to capture the tomb area.

At dawn on July 2, Ma Futian was driven away and Tan's army looted the mausoleums in Malanyu. After that, Sun's army went straight to the area of the Eastern Qing Tombs, pretending to engage in war exercises in the area. Tan Wenjiang placed policemen all around, denying access to the area and signs declared the army was "protecting the Tombs" to prevent interference.

The looting operation was directed by Sun Dianying from his car. Trucks were on hand to speed away with the loot as soon as they were loaded. At midnight the engineering corps blew up the entrance, opening the passage leading to the underground palace. The stone door was pried open to give access to the rear room of the grave. Sun gave first priority to officers above battalion commander level to collect treasure for themselves.
Ordinary soldiers were eventually allowed to take the leftovers.

The robbers first took the large treasure objects placed around the remains of Empress Dowager Cixi, such as jadeite watermelons, grasshoppers and vegetables, jade lotus and coral.

They snatched objects found beneath the body and ravaged the corpse itself, taking her imperial robe; tearing off her undergarments, shoes and socks, and taking all the pearls and jewels on her body. The looters even pried open her jaws and took the rare pearl from her mouth. Ultimately, they looted the objects under the coffin that had been favorites of Cixi when she was alive.

There was pair of jade hair pins only one of them them has turned up was other lost of Cixis corpse.

View attachment 2108962

Crow

This book or essay allegedly has more information on the items deposited in Cixi's mausoleum, if you could help me find this reference I would be grateful:

"Yu Shanpu, 1985, 'Cixi Lingmu' in: Yu Bingkun, p268"

 

[Crow]

This following reference may lead you to what you are seeking.

The extract had reference ( It has a reference Yu Shanpu (1) 1985. ”Cixi lingmu“ (Cixi's Mausoleum.) In: Yu Bingkun 1985.

That was from a work in Vienna Austria called Ritual Sequence at the demise of the empress Dowager Cixi. It to uses the above reference?

Is your pendant similar to this one?

​

​

​

The original 1985 reference by historian Yu Shanpu may obtained that information from the official books below.

obtained from State Historiography Institute, Qing dynasty

Official historiographies are books compiled and published under the supervision of important ministers, often Grand Academicians or Grand Councilors, in historiography institutes set up at the order of the emperor.

The actual writers were generally members of the Hanlin Academy or the Grand Council. During the Qing dynasty, a variety of agencies were set up by the emperors to compile and edit historiographical works: for example, the Veritable Records Office (Shilu guan) for compiling imperial annals, the Imperial Diary Office (Qijuzhu guan) for recording the emperor's daily life and official activities, the State Historiography Institute (Guoshi guan) for assembling and editing the national history, the Office of Collected Statutes (Huidian guan) and the Office of Institutional History (Santong guan) for compiling and revising official statutes, laws and regulations, the Office of Military Archives (Fanglue guan) for collecting records of military affairs, and the Office of Imperial Decrees (Shengxun guan) for compiling teachings from previous emperors.

The Wuying Palace was where the Imperial Printing Office was situated. The typefaces used in the books it released are neat and orderly, the paper carefully selected, and the bindings and decorative elements elegant.

Crow