In this great scroll of world history, many frightening and longing mysteries have been left around the world. Just as there is an old Chinese saying that "the secret of heaven cannot be revealed", these unsolved mysteries are just like those hidden heavenly opportunities, inspiring the endless curiosity and desire of future generations to explore, and today we want to talk about the four most mysterious unsolved mysteries in the world, and two of them are closely related to China.
So, what are the four unsolved mysteries, and which two are closely related to China?
01 The Mystery of the Devil's Tower
In the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Wyoming, there is a mysterious landmark that seems to have stepped out of an ancient legend - the Devil's Tower. This huge stone tower is like a gateway to another world, reaching into the sky and inviting people to reverie.
It is said that from a distance of 100 kilometers, people can see its majestic figure. Interestingly, there are many controversies about the origin of this tower, some believe that it is a tree stump, others believe that it is a volcanic fossil, in short, there are different opinions.
Legend has it that the Devil's Tower was once a giant tree that reached to the sky, and it was the path of the ancient giants to heaven. But during a battle with the gods, the giant tree was blown off by the gods, leaving only a section of the stump. As the years passed, this stump gradually became the stone tower we see today.
This legend not only adds a mysterious color to the Devil's Tower, but also reminds people of the four sacred trees recorded in the ancient Chinese book "The Classic of Mountains and Seas".
China's Classic of Mountains and Seas records four sacred trees, the most striking of which is Xunmu. In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Overseas North Classic", it is described that the search for wood is thousands of miles high, with a well-developed root system, extending to the end of the world.
So, could this devil's tower be the legendary Xunmu? Perhaps, this tower has a deeper connection with our Chinese culture.
Scientists believe that the Devil's Tower may be the product of ancient volcanic activity, with a volcanic neck or the remains of a rock wall around the crater. But this explanation does not fully explain all the secrets of the Devil's Tower. For example, why is it so resilient to wind and rain erosion, and how has it remained so intact in geological history?
Recent research has added to this mystery. In 2019, scientists used advanced geophysical equipment to conduct a comprehensive scan of the Devil's Tower and found that the tower's internal structure was much more complex than expected. Because there are certain unknown caves and passages hidden inside the Devil's Tower, and do these passages lead to the secrets of another world?
So far, about the formation of the Devil's Tower, scientists have different opinions, the public says that the public is reasonable, and the mother says that the mother is reasonable, and until now there is no exact statement.
02 Giant's Feet
In a small town in South Africa, an old secret slumbers. In 1912, a hunter named Kozi accidentally discovered a huge footprint that was 1.2 meters long.
This footprint, known as the "Footprints of God" by the locals, is like a relic that came out of mythology, some people believe that this footprint was left in ancient times, some people believe that it was formed naturally, and the giant does not exist, so what is going on?
Archaeologists estimate that the footprint is about 3.1 billion years old. If this is true, then it will completely upend our understanding of human history.
The footprint has been studied intensively by Austrian antiquities researcher Klaus and South African explorer and writer Michael Tyringer. They speculate that if the footprint was left by a giant, then the mysterious creature was at least 7 meters tall.
A giant of 7 meters, three or four stories tall, how spectacular it would be.
According to Tylinger, the footprint is embedded in a piece of granite that has undergone various stages of condensation. This unique geological feature makes the footprints appear so natural that they almost rule out the possibility of artificial carving. Marks on the side of the rock indicate that it was plate movements that pushed the stone to the surface. This discovery further deepens the mystery.
However, there are always those who are skeptical. Some scientists believe that this is just the shape of the rock formed by natural erosion. Tyringer refuted this, even quoting Wagner, a mathematician at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa: "It's more likely that the little green man in outer space licked this shape with his tongue than it was by natural erosion." ”
So think about it, has the earth experienced a cataclysm that caused the disappearance of most humans and animals, and is this footprint a remnant of a few survivors?
03 The mystery of Zhu Yunwen
In the long history of China, there is a mystery that has always remained unsolved, and that is the mystery of the disappearance of Zhu Yunwen, the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yunwen, the grandson of the beggar emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, ascended the throne in 1399, but his fate was like a tragic drama.
His imperial uncle Zhu Di raised troops to the south and invaded the capital in the name of "Qing Jun's side". Zhu Yunwen's palace was burned down, and a charred corpse was found, but he himself disappeared without a trace.
There are various theories in history about the whereabouts of this emperor. It is said that he disguised himself as a monk and escaped from the palace, hid in the temple, and finally became a monk. According to records, he may have become a monk at the Gaofeng Temple in Guizhou or on Qionglong Mountain in Suzhou, and some people even say that the pagoda on Qionglong Mountain is his tomb.
There are also rumors that Zhu Yunwen traveled around after escaping from the palace, and there are records of his relics in many places. The Foluo Temple in Pingchang, Sichuan, and a certain temple in Wuchang, some people say that it is his final resting place. Did he really become a monk, travel north and south of the river, and finally return to silence?
What's more, Zhu Yunwen went overseas and fled to Indonesia. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, he spent seventeen years looking for him, and even let Zheng He go to the West seven times, but he didn't learn the news of Zhu Yunwen's death until his death.
Of course, there is also an official account that Zhu Yunwen was burned to death in the palace fire when Zhu Di's soldiers were in the city. However, under the technical conditions at the time, it was impossible to confirm the true identity of the charred corpse, and this statement was also full of doubts.
The mystery of Zhu Yunwen's life and death is like a suspense drama, each statement has its own reasonableness, but it lacks conclusive evidence.
In this story, Zhu Yunwen is not only an emperor, but also a puzzle of history, waiting for us to uncover the last secret of his life. His true fate may forever be buried in the dust of history and become an eternal mystery.
04 The mystery of the mysterious disappearance of Lop Nur
On the western frontier of China, Lop Nur is known for its desolation and mystery. It was once a thriving strip on the Silk Road, but over time it became a dry, barren desert. In this wasteland, there is a mysterious mystery hidden - the mysterious disappearance of the famous scientist Pengamu.
In June 1980, the expedition led by Pengamu completed their mission on the edge of Lop Nur. They have collected a large number of precious mineral fossils and plant specimens, which are of great value for scientific research. As the expedition ended, a serious problem arose: they ran out of drinking water.
On the night of June 16, faced with the crisis of running out of water sources, the scientific expedition team sent a signal for help to the outside world. Stranded in the dry, scorching heat of the desert, they are in dire need of outside help.
On the morning of the second day after receiving the distress signal, the military learned of their location and began to prepare for a rescue operation. However, at this critical moment, an unexpected happened.
At 1 p.m. on June 17, the driver of the expedition team found that Peng Jiamu was missing. The short note he left behind reads: "I went east to find a well". In this harsh environment of 50 degrees Celsius, Pengamu chose an almost impossible task - to find water alone.
Pengamu's decision is incomprehensible. Why did he take such a huge risk when the military had already decided to deliver water? Was it out of a sense of responsibility to the team, or was it an explorer's instinct?
Pengamu has since disappeared into the vast expanse of Lop Nur, and no one has seen him again. His disappearance has become a permanent mystery in the history of science. What happened to him, did he really find the well, or did he finally succumb to the unforgiving nature – these questions may never be answered.
These mysteries are not just legends, but also expressions of human curiosity and desire to explore. They remind us that there is always the unknown waiting to be discovered, both in science and in the study of history.
Although our journey is over, the pages of history will never close. Each unsolved mystery is an invitation to future explorers.
Do you have any unique views or theories about these unsolved mysteries, or what are some of your own mysteries that you would like to share and explore?