Helen Deng, Li Chenxi

SHAODILING (The Mausoleum of a Young Emperor), lying at the foot of Xiaonanshan Mountain in Nanshan District, is widely regarded as the eternal home of Zhao Bing, the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

Zhao was forced to commit suicide at the age of 9 when his dynasty collapsed under fierce attacks from Mongolians. Although the unlucky child was unable to protect himself while he was alive, he is believed to be able to bring good fortune to people in his death. Many people come to pay tribute to the young emperor every day, with some coming from as far as Fujian Province.

If you have not read the epigraph on Shaodiling, or heard about the tragic story, you would not know that the simple mausoleum belonged to an emperor. It is a very simple tomb for an emperor, with only a statue of a general carrying the emperor on his back, some flowers and trees, a small tomb, a pavilion, and three tables piled up with all kinds of offerings — large pieces of pork, wine, cake, as well as candies.

The young emperor’s sad story is carved on black stone board near the tomb. Zhao was put on the throne at the age of 8 in 1278, after one of his brothers was caught by the Mongolians at the age of 5 and the other brother died as he fled to Guangdong at the age of 11.

In 1279, after the Southern Song soldiers lost the last battle between the Song and the Xinhui Mongolians of Guangdong, Lu Xiufu, a general who accompanied the Zhao brothers to Guangdong, told the young emperor that they had to die to avoid being humiliated by the Mongolians. Lu carried Zhao on his back and they both jumped into the sea.

Legend has it that the child’s body floated to Chiwan Bay in Shenzhen and was picked up by an old monk. Knowing that Zhao was the emperor, the monk gave him a decent burial.

The tomb was rebuilt by Zhao’s descendents living in Hong Kong in 1911 where they used to pay their tributes before later deserting it. In 1982, however, the tomb was discovered by workers building the Chiwan Port. The tomb was later extended from more than 50 square meters to 4,400 square meters and placed on the city’s list of protected relics.

At the entrance to the mausoleum, there is a statue of Lu, carrying Zhao on his back, both looking handsome and brave. The statue was made in the 1980s, a reminder of the sad story of the once-prosperous dynasty and the unlucky child. It is not clear if the statue was based on pictures of the two.

A woman busily putting fruit onto an offering table could not say why so many people were paying tribute at the mausoleum Friday, but Chen Zhihao, a fortune teller based at the mausoleum for more than 10 years, said there were always a lot of visitors on the first and fifteenth days of a lunar month. Friday was the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, and the mausoleum was shrouded in smoke from burning incense. Visitors, including both the young and the old, knelt down in front of the burning incense to pray.

“People come here to pray for health, wealth, good luck, and to commemorate the young emperor,” said Chen, adding that the mausoleum was a propitious place because it lies at the foot of the mountain and faces the sea.

Yet according to historian Peng Jianmin, the mausoleum is probably an empty one built in memory of the emperor. “There is no reliable record to show that the emperor himself is buried there,” said Peng.

Most people prefer to believe that the emperor is buried in the mausoleum, which brings good business to Chen, who earns a living through fortune telling.