Relax - Chinese abuzz over 'tomb economy'

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[Above: The interior of a nearly 1,800-year-old tomb which was found by Chinese archaeologists and believed to belong to the legendary ruler Cao Cao.]

Beijing - Two thousand years after warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought for control of China in the famous Three Kingdoms period, the pair seem to have resumed their struggle from their graves.

Villagers in south-western Sichuan province are eager to excavate a tomb which they believed is that of Liu's, inspired no doubt by the spectacular discovery of Cao Cao's grave last month.

With experts estimating that Cao Cao's grave could generate up to 420 million yuan (S$86 million) in tourist revenue a year for Anyang city in central Henan province, some Chinese farmers are seeing dead kings as their latest gods of fortune.

'This interest in excavating tombs is totally abnormal and driven by the obsession for money,' said history analyst Liang Mancang, an expert on the Three Kingdoms era between AD220 and AD280.

The 'tomb economy', as some in the local media have tagged this current craze, is lucrative.

Since the Terracotta Army - which is believed to be part of the First Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb - was discovered in Shaanxi in 1974, the find has brought in about 150 million yuan every year in ticket sales for the north-western province.

The passage of the tomb which Chinese archaeologists believed to belong to Cao Cao.

For every yuan spent on tomb entry, China Economic Weekly estimates that tourists will spend an additional five yuan on other items, boosting the local economy.

Residents near famous tombs benefit greatly too. Before the Genghis Khan tomb was built in Inner Mongolia in 2001, the herders and farmers of Huoluo township earned just 2,500 yuan a year.

In 2007, their income hit 6,287 yuan, according to official figures, a jump of 151 per cent.

Some experts believe such is the popularity of the Three Kingdoms story, thanks especially to a literary classic based on events of the era, that Cao Cao's tomb could be as big a money-spinner as the Terracotta Warriors.

The fascination with the Three Kingdoms extends beyond mainland China, as shown in the disclosure on Jan 19 by the Anyang authorities that 'many tour agencies from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, even from foreign countries like Japan and South Korea, have shown great interest in the newly discovered Cao Cao's tomb'.

It has prompted Anyang to propose a cultural relic park around the tomb to profit from the expected flow of tourists. Some reports said that more than 1,000 visitors had already trooped into the village housing the tomb in the last month.

Villagers have turned themselves into makeshift hawkers, selling Cao Cao-related souvenirs. The more enterprising ones have even charged five yuan for visitors to stand in their grain fields to have a good view of the tomb's excavation.

All these have caused a small band of Sichuan villagers to get ready their shovels, eager not to lose out in the chase for the Three Kingdoms tourist dollars.

They have petitioned the heritage authorities to excavate a tomb in Pengshan county that they insist is Liu Bei's.

But archaeologists have warned against haste to exploit the necropolises of China.

'We can't just dig out all the imperial tombs for the sake of tourism and to boost the economy,' said expert Liu Qingzhu from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

'If we excavate and we are unable to protect them, we are actually destroying history.

'China may be an ancient civilisation, but obviously we do not just rely on our ancient heritage to grow our economy.

'Look at Beijing. It is an ancient capital, but its GDP growth is not dependent on the Forbidden City, is it?'

shpeh@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Lina Miao

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Chinese abuzz over 'tomb economy'

By Peh Shing Huei, China Bureau Chief, The Sunday Times | Wed, Feb 3 2010

Discovery of famous warlord's grave sparks excavation craze in a chase for tourist dollars.

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[Above: The interior of a nearly 1,800-year-old tomb which was found by Chinese archaeologists and believed to belong to the legendary ruler Cao Cao.]

Beijing - Two thousand years after warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei fought for control of China in the famous Three Kingdoms period, the pair seem to have resumed their struggle from their graves.

Villagers in south-western Sichuan province are eager to excavate a tomb which they believed is that of Liu's, inspired no doubt by the spectacular discovery of Cao Cao's grave last month.

'This interest in excavating tombs is totally abnormal and driven by the obsession for money,' said history analyst Liang Mancang, an expert on the Three Kingdoms era between AD220 and AD280.

The 'tomb economy', as some in the local media have tagged this current craze, is lucrative.