Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some minority groups, especially the Bo people of southern China who dominated the area for some four centuries, but were thought to have been massacred by the Ming army and to be extinct. However, some descendants of the Bo were found in 2005 in Xingwen County, Sichuan.
The coffins are of various shapes and mostly carved from one whole piece of wood and 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. Hanging coffins are found in other parts of the world but their true origin and intent are still subject to controversy. If you are interested to read more then visit:
http://www.chinatravel.com/focus/yangtze-river/hanging-coffin.htm
Beautiful scenery and mystical hanging coffins were all too much for one American family – parents and teenage daughter who never ventured from the lower covered deck and slept their way through the entire 3 hour trip avowing that it was a ‘boring’ – what did they expect!
After a refreshing Chines lunch back abroad the VikingEmerald we set sail for the through the stunning Qutang Gorge – the last of the Three Gorges Complex.
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