Living Tomb

An overgrown site down a dead-end lane climbing into the hills of Xinbei. At first glance it appears to be an elaborate tomb, but a closer inspection reveals an altar in front of a stone plaque engraved with a single character, shou (壽), in red. This stands for longevity, and the inscription is part of a fengshui ritual known as “planting a living grave” (種生基). Rather than a true burial, the subject’s hair, nails, and birth details are interred in an auspicious plot to extend their life and improve their fortune. Such sites are often erected without official permission and may never have been legally sanctioned. In this case, nothing is recorded of who commissioned it, though the scale implies considerable wealth. Satellite imagery shows it in place before 2002 and apparently untended since around 2014.