Jewelry in Yu Lang, Yunnan: How many jewels were buried in the coffin when Empress Dowager Cixi died?
Before the body of Cixi entered the coffin, a 22 cm thick silk mattress with 12604 pearls, 85 rubies, 2 emeralds, 203 tourmalines and white jade was laid on the bottom of the coffin, and a silk mattress embroidered with lotus flowers was also covered on the mattress. It is covered with a layer of five-cent round beads, a total of 2400. The round beads are covered with a thin mattress embroidered with Buddha beads, and there are 1300 dichotomous beads on the mattress. Before the body of Cixi was buried, a green lotus leaf was placed on her head. Lotus leaves are full of green and grow naturally. It was not carved by hand in Ye Jin, so it is very precious. There is a big lotus with blue jade at the foot, which is tender and dazzling and rare in the world. After the body of Cixi entered the coffin, there were lotus flowers on her head and feet, which meant "step by step to give birth to lotus flowers", hoping that the deceased would enter the promised land of the West as soon as possible.