In May 1986, a farmer in Yongcheng City, Henan Province, while tidying up his vegetable garden, accidentally discovered an ancient tomb, which was the tomb of Liu Mai, the King of Liang in the Western Han Dynasty. The news did not go away, and archaeologists also heard the news. However, before that, there were already tomb robbers who had been there for two months and had stolen the tombs, and when the experts arrived, they were also shocked by the devastated tombs.
Speaking of Liu Mai, many people may not be familiar with it, but when it comes to his father Liu Wu, the King of Liang, he is very famous. Liu Wu was the younger brother of Emperor Jingdi of Han, who made great contributions to quelling the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, and even once hoped to inherit the throne of Emperor Jingdi of Han through the relationship of his mother Empress Dou. However, Emperor Jing of Han was eventually passed on to Emperor Wu of Han, and Liu Wu's title of Prince of Liang was passed on to his eldest son Liu Mai.
As the most powerful monarch of the Western Han Dynasty at that time, although Liu Mai only reigned for seven years, the tomb was full of luxury, showing the life of the nobles. Although Liu Mai's tomb was looted by thieves and looted many precious cultural relics, it was rated as one of the top ten archaeological discoveries in China in 1991. Among them, the one that adds the most points to it is this "Four Gods Cloud Qi Map".
This picture is actually a fresco of the burial chamber, and it is on the top of the burial chamber. It is said that when the burial chamber was first opened, it was still brightly colored as if it had just been painted. But because of the oxidation, it quickly began to fade. What is more serious is that in order to find funerary goods in the dimly lit burial chamber, the tomb robbers lit candles and even burned tires and firewood, which made dust and other particles cover the frescoes with a layer.
Therefore, when a large number of experts rushed to Liu Mai's tomb to "consult" the mural, they only took a look at it and made up their minds: they must move it away at any cost and can no longer stay here.
However, how to carry it has become a big problem. Not to say that it was at that time, but until now, there is no precedent in China. Because the murals are painted on the stone wall, it is impossible to move away with the stone wall, so it can only be unveiled from the stone by technical means. You know, this painting is at the top of the tomb, about 16.8 square meters, and the thickness between the stone and the paint is only 2 to 3 mm, and the difficulty can be imagined.
What is more crucial is that such a large mural cannot be removed in one go, and it must be divided and uncovered. Where there is a division, it is destined to produce irreparable cracks. However, if it is not uncovered, placed in the distance, sooner or later it will be completely destroyed. The lesser of two evils, in the end, cultural relics experts still boldly implemented the plan.
After careful calculation and careful arrangement, a team of experts from all walks of life spent a month and a half working day and night, and finally divided the mural into five pieces and unveiled it. Subsequently, the mural was immediately sent to the Henan Museum, and it took another five days to install it. In total, it took less than two months to spend less than two months before and after, and less than 150,000 yuan was used.
After many years, the experts involved in the restoration are still a little afraid, they learned that the Italian murals have also been unveiled in this way, but those paintings are only a few hundred years old, and they have to go through a long process of discussion, analysis, experimentation, etc., which can last for several years or even more than ten years. Although it seems that the behavior at that time was a bit reckless, the good villain successfully completed the task and rescued this national treasure of the amazing world.
"Four Gods and Clouds" has now become one of the nine treasures of the Henan Museum, which stands quietly in a conspicuous position in the exhibition hall, resembling a blanket hanging from a bed, but its exquisite pattern is unforgettable for a long time.
In its center, it is a giant dragon about seven meters long, with teeth and claws, soaring clouds and driving the fog, and the momentum is extraordinary. Around the dragon, there are Suzaku, white tigers and strange beasts, which is the origin of the "four gods". Around them are the lingzhi everywhere and the clouds in the air are steaming and fog, so it is called the "Four Gods Cloud Qi Map".
The dragon is four-legged, representing the noble status of its master, it steps on the clouds with one foot, one foot is connected to the wing, one foot is stepped on the tail of the suzaku, and the other foot gives birth to lotus flowers. This exaggerated and romantic imagination really makes future generations marvel. The phoenix is obviously the companion of the dragon, it is petite and exquisite, holding the dragon's horn in one mouth, galloping freely, as if dancing with the dragon.
Below the dragon and the phoenix, the white tiger posed to follow them, as if watching and admiring them, and as if ready to throw themselves into their arms, which may mean "climbing the dragon and attaching the phoenix". The beast is not large, it is on the tip of the dragon's tongue, playing with the dragon.
Regrettably, as descendants, we can generally understand the meaning of the "Four Gods and Clouds", which represents the pride of the Western Han nobles for power and the yearning for an unrestrained life. However, there are still many details that are difficult to explain. Because this mural was originally at the top of the tomb, and there should have been a Sendai below it, only by combining the whole can we understand the mystery. However, it is a pity that the Sendai has been destroyed by tomb robbers and the murals have become vertically hung, which has greatly affected our understanding and study of it.