The Hanging Coffin－A Unique Funeral and Sacrifice Custom which are found in Wuyi Mountain in Fujian Province

Hanging Coffin	Hanging Coffin

First appearing during the Spring and Autumn Period (722-481BC), hanging coffin is a unique funeral and sacrifice custom of the minority groups in southern China. People put the bodies of their ancestors into wooden coffins that were later placed in caves of precipitous cliff sides.
Most coffins were made with one whole piece of wood into various shapes. It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally. 
   Famous Hanging Coffin Sites:
While hanging coffins can be found in many places in China, the strange thing is all of them only existed for a certain period in history. Those in Wuyi Mountain are the first appear in China, as early as in the Zhou Dynasty (1027-777BC) while those in Gongxian County of Southwest china's Sichuan province are the most recent, which also marked the end of the hanging coffin custom.
Hanging Coffins of Bo People in Gongxian, Sichuan Provinve
Hanging Coffins of Guyue People in Dragon Tiger Mountain
Hanging Coffins of Guyue People in Wuyi Mountain
   Mysteries about Hanging Coffin:
Upon seeing the hanging coffins, visitors can't help asking: Why did the ancient people bury the dead in hanging coffins? How did they do this? These have been mysteries about the hanging coffins for centuries