The Mongol army’s conquest was almost complete. China’s Song Dynasty lay in ruins at the hands of the invaders. The imperial court sent the emperor’s brothers, two young princes (and heirs), aged seven and nine, south to Guangdong Province. There, resistance and the dynasty, would continue.
The eldest, Zhao Shi, was declared emperor but became ill and died while holding court in what is now Kowloon (Hong Kong). The younger brother, Zhao Bing, took to the throne.
The Song army was defeated in southern China at the Battle of Yamen in 1279. Rather than let the emperor be taken prisoner, a court official, Lu Xiufu, grabbed the young royal and leapt into the sea.
The body of a child, clothed in the yellow dragon-embroidered robes of the emperor, washed up on the shore of Chiwan, near Shekou (now part of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province). After prayers at the nearby Tian Hou Temple, local people buried the boy on a hillside, facing the sea.
The tomb is a popular place with visitors and was granted historic status by local government officials. Prayers and offerings are left for the boy-king who died rather than surrender.
Captured: March 17, 2007.
Processing: Alien Skin Exposure – Fuji Pro 160C filter
Where is this temple? What bus gets there? I’ve lived in Shenzhen 2 years and never heard of it.
Jen: Chiwan is 10-15 minutes west of Shekou. I can’t remember the bus number.
That was a bit of a downer. Nice pic though.
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You say downer, Wanda, some would say patriotic. I remain on the fence.
That court official may have saved him from things much worse than death.
It’s a beautiful photo, Stevo.
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Wow…this reminds me of the Princes in the Tower, a little. What is perpetrated on royal children. . .
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Shawn: Very true and thank you.
LFC: Different time and place …