In 1954, archaeologists happened to find an ancient tomb dating from the Ming Dynasty on Mount Wufeng in Jiangsu province, China. After checking, they found that this is a burial tomb. However, the unexpected point is that inside the tomb, archaeologists found the remains of a man and four women instead of just two.
According to the epitaph in the ancient tomb, the owner of the tomb is Truong An Van, a doctor in the Ming Dynasty. The four women buried in the ancient tomb are his main room and concubines.
In the traditional way, the husband will be buried with his wife, if there are concubines, they will be buried elsewhere. However, in Truong An Van’s tomb, the eldest wife was buried with the concubines. It seems that, when they were alive, they lived together in harmony.
Archaeologists found an ancient tomb inside with the remains of a man and four women. (Photo: Sohu)
During the excavation, the experts did not find any outstanding burial items. However, they discovered on the head of a concubine with a very special item. It is a brooch decorated with a golden cicada resting on a jade leaf. This is called the brooch “needle meditation jade”.
Although these decorations are very small in size, they are extremely skillfully crafted. The cicada is sculpted to life, even the patterns on its wings are detailed and clear. The leaf is made from Yangzhi white jade, the type of jade listed in the top class. The leaf is also carefully carved with each ridge on the leaf stem. Their level of sophistication surprised experts by the ancient crafting techniques.
It can be said that this brooch is a rare treasure. According to experts, the value of this “jewel zen” brooch is up to 900 million NT (more than 3,200 billion VND). Currently, the brooch is on display at the Nanjing Museum.
The cicada brooch and decorative leaf are worth more than 3,200 billion VND. (Photo: Sohu)
They also said that this brooch is not only of great value but also of historical research value. This jade meditation needle brooch has a very good meaning in feng shui. It is the “escape cicada”, which means that the cicada when it reaches the adult stage will emerge from the ground, breaking its shell to turn into a cicada. In ancient times, cicadas symbolized the end and the beginning of a new phase.
The jade zebra brooch placed on the head of the concubine also means that its owner wishes his woman to be reborn soon. This also shows that Truong An Van’s love for the concubine is great.
