In 1989, a massive tomb-raiding case rocked western Henan. Seven royal tombs in Luoyang, Sanmenxia, and Nanyang were looted, sending cultural relics worth tens of billions onto the black market and setting a record for cultural-property theft in the People's Republic of China. The Provincial Public Security Department joined forces with several agencies to launch a sweeping crackdown, arresting all seventeen members of the “Zong Gang,” led by Zhou Zongshan. In the interrogation room, fifty-year-old Zhou Zongshan sits in handcuffs, watching snow fall over Mangshan Mountain outside the window. He decides to write a memoir and confess to his thirty-year career as a tomb raider.
From his first foray into tomb raiding during the famine years of the 1960s, when he did it to save his mother, to the 1980s, when he gathered feng shui masters, demolition experts, and antiques appraisers to form a professional gang, Zhou Zongshan relies on his family's inherited Luoyang shovel skills to scour Henan's dragon veins. He braves tombs filled with sand and stone, winding labyrinths, hidden fire traps, and poisonous fumes, looting dozens of tombs dating from the Shang and Zhou dynasties through the Tang and Song. His memoir reveals the real details of their crimes and the secret channels of black-market trade, along with the bonds between brothers, conflicts of interest, and the heartbreaking truth behind the loss of cultural relics.
As the present-day interrogation alternates with memories of the past, the police follow the memoir's trail to track down the missing relics. The gang members' statements are impossible to distinguish as truth or lies, and the road to recovering the priceless national treasures is full of obstacles. Are Zhou Zongshan's words an expression of remorse for his life of tomb raiding, or a cover for secrets left untold? Rooted in the realities of western Henan in the 1980s, this memoir-style novel exposes the dark world of tomb raiding and probes human greed and the scars left on civilization.
Watchable. Real, new look.
Speak fluently, work closely together, and have clear and organized logic. It's very comfortable to listen to, I like it very much, and it's worth recommending to my listening friends.
Reality and memories are intertwined, and the plot is complicated and confusing. Is it a confession or a cover-up? It is thought-provoking!
A true review of the tomb robbery case in western Henan reveals the sad truth behind the loss of cultural relics.
In the form of a memoir, it reveals the dark behind-the-scenes of tomb robbing and examines the greed of human nature and the scars of civilization, which is shocking.
Detailed description clearly
The plot is vivid and fascinating. Keep going.
Thirty years of tomb robbing career, nine twists and turns, fire and poisonous smoke, every step is thrilling.
From the first involvement in saving his mother to the destruction of the gang, the regrets and puzzles of thirty years of tomb robbing career.
The author's writing style is good, he talks about each incident one by one, and the psychological description of the characters is vivid and lifelike. I give it a thumbs up.