Wuyishan Cliff Tomb Cluster

　　There are nearly 20 surviving locations with about 20 coffins in total. The cliff tombs of Wuyi Mountain feature wooden coffins shaped like black boats from southern China, also known as “racks in the ravine,” “fairy oars,” “fairy boats,” “open boats,” “immortals’ dwellings,” “golden coffins,” “immortal ships,” “fragrant wood ships,” or “boat coffins.” They served as burial vessels for the ancient Minyue people who once inhabited the region. The shape of these boat coffins resembles that of a dugout canoe, divided into a base and a lid, with a total length of 3–5 meters. Each coffin was hollowed out from a single piece of wood, with the upper and lower parts fitted together. The front is higher and wider, while the rear is lower and narrower, with both ends raised like the bow and stern of a boat. The burial method of the Wuyi cliff tombs involves placing the coffins in inaccessible cliff faces—either using natural caves or exploiting natural rock fissures or the gaps between two adjacent cliffs where planks were installed to hold the coffins. From a distance, the coffins appear and disappear amid the cliffs, leading people to believe they were the resting places of immortals. Hence, they are commonly called “cliff tombs.” Also, due to their seemingly unreachable, mid-air suspension, they are referred to as “suspended coffin burials.”

　　According to ancient historical records and modern scientific research, most of the cliff tomb coffins were boat-shaped, with fewer rectangular or circular ones. Regardless of shape, they were all made from durable, high-quality timber such as nanmu (a type of fragrant wood). Burial objects included bamboo, wood, ceramics, and bronze ware. However, due to the passage of time or past human damage, these artifacts are rarely found today. The number of coffins stored in each site varies depending on the size of the cave or crevice—ranging from one coffin to several, some hidden, others extending into the cracks. Their proximity to the stream or ground surface is generally around 20–50 meters in elevation.

　　Since the 1970s and 1980s to the present, cultural relics archaeologists in Jiangxi Province have discovered more than 200 cliff tomb clusters in this area, and have excavated 18 of them. A total of 37 coffins were unearthed, along with a large number of cultural relics dating back over 2,600 years to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Over 20 experts from China, the United States, and South Korea conducted scientific investigations on the cliff tomb clusters at Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi Province. They newly identified over 10 additional cliff tombs, and inside one of the cave tombs, they found two coffins, two skeletons, and a number of burial items including pottery, wooden swords, wooden hammers, and textiles. Experts believe that the cliff tombs in the Wuyi Mountain region—including those at Longhu Mountain—are among the earliest dated cliff tomb clusters in China. However, how the ancient people managed to place the coffins in those high, cliffside caves remains a mystery to this day.

　　In 2006, the Wuyishan Cliff Tomb Cluster, as a burial site from the Bronze Age, was included in the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level by the State Council of China.