Hanging coffins
Encyclopedia
Hanging coffins are coffin
s which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including China
, Indonesia
, and the Philippines
. In China, they are known as Xuanguan which also means "hanging coffin".
custom of some minority groups, especially the Bo people
of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces.
It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally.
Locations of hanging coffins include:
Island.
people of upland Sulawesi
hanging coffins and funeral effigies are found in Londa Nanggala cave.
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
s which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In China, they are known as Xuanguan which also means "hanging coffin".
China
Hanging coffins are an ancient funeralFuneral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
custom of some minority groups, especially the Bo people
Bo people (China)
The Bo people are a small minority population in Southern China, famous for their hanging coffins.The Bo people dominated their area for some four centuries, but were massacred by the Ming army and were thought to be extinct...
of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces.
It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally.
Locations of hanging coffins include:
- FujianFujian' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
- Wuyi MountainsWuyi MountainsThe Wuyi Mountains are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in the northern border of Fujian province with Jiangxi province, China. The mountains cover an area of 60 km². In 1999, Mount Wuyi entered UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, both natural and cultural...
- Wuyi Mountains
- HubeiHubei' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
- JiangxiJiangxi' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
- Longhushan (龙虎山), 20 km southwest of YingtanYingtanYingtan is a prefecture-level city in the east part of China's Jiangxi province. It borders Fujian province to the east. Its location next to Fujian and its proximity to Zhejiang, have made it a strategically important city for centuries...
City (Guyue people)
- Longhushan (龙虎山), 20 km southwest of Yingtan
- SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
- Gongxian County of YibinYibin-Administrative divisions:-Economy:The city's industry focuses on electronics, food products, and power generation. It also produces paper, silk, and leather products...
, southwest Sichuan (Bo peopleBo people (China)The Bo people are a small minority population in Southern China, famous for their hanging coffins.The Bo people dominated their area for some four centuries, but were massacred by the Ming army and were thought to be extinct...
) - Qutang GorgeQutang GorgeThe Qutang Gorge is the shortest and most spectacular of China's Three Gorges.Immediately downstream of the ancient village Baidicheng the Yangtze River passes between the Chijia Mountain on the north and the Baiyan Mountain on the south...
, one of the Three Gorges
- Gongxian County of Yibin
- YunnanYunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
Philippines
Hanging coffins can be found in Sagada, LuzonLuzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
Island.
Indonesia
The traditional burial practices of the Sa'dan TorajaToraja
The Toraja are an ethnic group indigenous to a mountainous region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Their population is approximately 650,000, of which 450,000 still live in the regency of Tana Toraja . Most of the population is Christian, and others are Muslim or have local animist beliefs known as aluk...
people of upland Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
hanging coffins and funeral effigies are found in Londa Nanggala cave.
China
- Hanging coffins in China
- Mysterious Hanging Coffins of the Bo
- Hanging Coffins a Clue to Ba Mystery
- Hanging coffins in Yunnan
- Mysterious Hanging Coffins of China (documentary)
Philippines
- Sagada Igorot Online - Hanging Coffins
- Hanging Coffins of Sagada
- Picture of hanging coffins in Sagada
- Visit Sagada