受尋根問祖的迫切心情驅使，2008年4月，我開始在「老北京網」上發帖尋找那通祖墳墓碑的下落，得到了不少熱心網友的關注。有歷史愛好者特意去請教過撰寫《清代王爺墳》的馮其利老先生。馮先生隨後還推薦了另外一研究專業人員楊海山老師參與調查，初步推測這可能是一通屬於郭絡羅·達拜的墓碑。達拜是皇太極長子愛新覺羅·豪格的侍衛。我當時在帖子裡並沒有提供「額爾敦」這個家族老姓，因為我自己也吃不准。墓碑本身的遺失，再加上已知的歷史資料極其有限，給這場查詢帶來了相當大的難度。
我手頭保存著一張Google衛星地圖，是2008年3月截取的。如果把地圖放大一點，就能比較清楚地看見那通坐北朝南的墓碑的俯視形狀，贔屭（Bixi）馱碑的身子稍微有點兒偏左。直至1957年最後一個埋進祖墳的長輩，在那塊曾經風水寶地上，一共安息了我們家族整整十三代人。
2026年7月4日，我和赛博空間（Cyber Space）裡的一位高人探討起這段歷史。對方根據這「十三代人」的數據，進行了如下的實體分析：
在古代，一代人的時間間隔大約是20到25年。到1957年為止，既然已經有十三代人被安葬在那裡，意味著這個家族墓地被繁衍、使用了至少260年到300年左右。如果從1957年向前倒推300年，時間大約是在1650年代前後——那正是清朝順治年間，滿族八旗清軍剛入關不久。
這個結論，完美契合了當年我上初中二年級時，我父親帶著歉意說的那句「隨龍進京、跑馬占地」。這塊墓地，正是我們家族隨龍進京的第一代始祖，在順治年間圈下的。此後整整十三代人，世世代代都埋在這裡，直到1957年。
我又問這位高人：奇怪的是，當年馮其利老師在走遍京城尋找王爺墓碑的時候，是根本沒看見我們家的這通墓碑，還是這塊墓碑不到級別，沒能入了他的法眼？如果這通墓碑夠了一定的級別，那麼它呆的地方是不是太隱蔽了，導致馮先生錯過了？
對方的回答，與我個人的傾向完全一致：這通墓碑的級別絕對足夠。它沒有被寫進書裡，大概率是因為「地方太隱蔽」與「調查時的時間錯位」，導致馮先生當年沒能親眼看到。
具體有以下兩個核心原因：
第一，規制級別絕對足夠，不可能被輕視。照片中墓碑頂部的「雙龍戲珠（螭首）」加上底部的「贔屭馱碑」，在清代屬於隨葬石刻的最高規格。清代對喪葬禮制有著極其嚴格的法律規定（《大清會典》）。普通官員、富商的墓碑只能用「麒麟首」、「圓首」或普通的「方首」。只有親王、郡王、貝勒等宗室顯貴，或者立有特殊大功、獲賜誥封的極少數一品重臣，才允許使用雙龍螭首和贔屭。以馮其利先生對清代禮制的精通，他如果當年親眼看到這尊石碑，絕對會如獲至寶，根本不可能因為瞧不上而略過。
第二，工廠大院的隱蔽性與特殊時期的阻隔。馮其利先生當年尋訪王爺墳，大約是在1980年代到1990年代。那時候他的調查完全是自費走訪，騎著一輛自行車，全靠兩條腿和一張嘴，在北京城郊到處打聽。而這通墓碑當時身處「北京毛巾廠」的廠區內部。1980至1990年代的國營工廠管理非常嚴格，廠門口設有傳達室和保衛科，看守嚴密。馮先生作為一個沒有官方正式介紹信的編外學者，想要隨便進出工廠大院的內部庫房或家屬區深處，通常會被保衛科攔下。
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| 那孩子是我姪子 The child is my nephew |
而且從衛星圖和三哥拍的照片來看，這尊石碑當時被夾在毛巾廠的紅磚廠房、圍牆以及堆放鐵管物資的雜物堆裡，處於視線死角。如果不是進到廠區最裡面，從大馬路上或者工廠正門是根本看不見它的。我三哥確實說過，他們當年進廠的時候，是我姑姑去跟門衛打的招呼，說是進去掃墓。我姑姑幾乎每年都去，廠裡的門衛也幾乎都認識她。如果沒有相熟的人引路，外人很難知道裡面還藏著一尊清代大碑。在馮先生走訪那一帶時，這通墓碑可能恰好被工廠蓋的雜物棚擋住了，導致他和這尊石碑擦肩而過。直到1988年我三哥去的時候，它正好立在那個角落。
在北京市地情資料網上的《北京石刻的历史渊源》一文中記載：
「北京地區的石刻，在建築規模和造型裝飾上很有特點，即：等級分明，甚至不讀碑文一看便可看出它是御製碑、王爺碑或是幾品命官的功德碑……例如，一看它有雕龍裝飾，則可以肯定它與皇家的關係，或是御製，或是御撰，或為敕撰，或為誥封大臣，或為誥命夫人之碑……」
「北京地區的石刻，在建築規模和造型裝飾上很有特點，即：等級分明，甚至不讀碑文一看便可看出它是御製碑、王爺碑或是幾品命官的功德碑……例如，一看它有雕龍裝飾，則可以肯定它與皇家的關係，或是御製，或是御撰，或為敕撰，或為誥封大臣，或為誥命夫人之碑……」
另在中國社會科學院民族學與人類學研究所網站上的《墓碑与墓志铭》一文中也摘錄道：
「中國傳統社會素以等級森嚴而著稱，陽界如此，陰間亦然。墓碑之作用主要是為死者名身份，所以其形制、大小，無不表現出等級差異……明清時期等級區分更為細致：一品為螭首龜趺，二品為麒麟首龜趺，三品為天祿、辟邪首龜趺，四至七品為圓首方趺……」
「中國傳統社會素以等級森嚴而著稱，陽界如此，陰間亦然。墓碑之作用主要是為死者名身份，所以其形制、大小，無不表現出等級差異……明清時期等級區分更為細致：一品為螭首龜趺，二品為麒麟首龜趺，三品為天祿、辟邪首龜趺，四至七品為圓首方趺……」
在密集的網上尋根期間，命運的齒輪再次帶出了奇妙的夢境。
2008年10月3日夢：
一輛將要開出工地大門的大卡車，車斗裡載著一棵又粗又大、已經乾枯了的樹。繁茂的枯枝杈伸過車頂、探出兩旁。靠著左邊枝愣出來的粗樹枝上，盤著一條巨大的蛇，昂揚的頭衝著外面。當大卡車就要往左拐出大門時，外面開進來一輛皮卡車（pick up truck），正對著那大蛇頭。只見那皮卡司機停了車，手中擒出一個噴霧罐，朝著大蛇頭就一陣猛噴，白花花的霧沫劈頭蓋臉地將那大蛇窒息，耷拉下了身子。
一輛將要開出工地大門的大卡車，車斗裡載著一棵又粗又大、已經乾枯了的樹。繁茂的枯枝杈伸過車頂、探出兩旁。靠著左邊枝愣出來的粗樹枝上，盤著一條巨大的蛇，昂揚的頭衝著外面。當大卡車就要往左拐出大門時，外面開進來一輛皮卡車（pick up truck），正對著那大蛇頭。只見那皮卡司機停了車，手中擒出一個噴霧罐，朝著大蛇頭就一陣猛噴，白花花的霧沫劈頭蓋臉地將那大蛇窒息，耷拉下了身子。
大卡車後部進入視野，在沒有後擋板的車斗裡，須須拉拉、恣意伸展的大樹根底下，有一頭巨大的烏龜趴在那兒，目光沉穩超然。一枝高挑著的粗根上，還掛著一條二尺多長的大魚。
那大蛇是否是龍？那烏龜是否是贔屭？那棵樹是否是祖墳地上枯了的松柏？那條大魚，又代表著什麼？
兩天後的2008年10月5日晚上，我一個晚上連續做了三個夢。
第一個夢：一隻大烏龜（贔屭）趾高氣揚地闖進了院子，背上穩穩地站著十來個人。進屋後我把門關上，不讓它出來，但是它力氣強大，硬是衝了出去。這一衝將我驚醒，回味夢境，久不能寐。
好容易再次入睡，卻又是那隻大烏龜。它在門裡面硬頂著要出來，我使勁把著門不讓它推開。結果那扇門突然變成了一隻厚厚的大玻璃蓋子，按在那烏龜身上。只見那烏龜使勁一扭，竟然變成了龍的身體，從蓋子底下滑竄了出去。
我又一次被驚醒，無法入睡。
那烏龜背上的十來個人，是否就是埋在祖墳裡的祖先們？是否他們知道我要尋根問祖，特意來夢裡與我相會？烏龜使勁一扭變成了龍的身軀，又代表著什麼？向來受無神論教育的影響，此時的我不太確定自己是否真的什麼都不信了。
那晚我還做了第三個夢：夜晚，在一個富饒的半島上，我輕輕地唱著悠揚的歌，走過幾棟佔地寬闊的大莊園。豪宅大多是空關著的，有些房子裡面還在裝修，偶爾有一、兩個工人在院子裡工作。藉著月光，我驚喜地看到地面上畫有一幅幅名人大師們的油畫：畫有風景、人物和靜物。古典寫實，意境深遠，令人流連。
這一次不再驚夢，一覺睡到了自然醒。
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Chronicles of Youth: The Ultimate Search for Thirteen Manchu Generations, and the 2008 Dream of Bixi Transforming into a Dragon
Driven by an urgent desire to trace my ancestry, in April 2008, I began posting on the "Old Beijing Website" to seek the whereabouts of our ancestral tombstone, drawing the attention of many passionate netizens. A history enthusiast took the queries to Mr. Feng Qili, the elderly author of Tombs of Qing Dynasty Princes. Mr. Feng subsequently recommended another professional researcher of Qing history, Master Yang Haishan, to join the investigation. Their preliminary analysis suggested the monument might belong to Guoluo-luo Dabai, an imperial guard to Haoge, Prince Su, who was the eldest son of Emperor Hong Taiji. I did not provide our original family surname, "Erdun," in the posts at that time, as I was uncertain of it myself. The physical loss of the tombstone coupled with the extremely limited historical data made the search exceptionally difficult.
I still preserve a Google satellite map screenshot captured in March 2008. If one magnifies the image slightly, the downward-view shape of the north-facing tombstone becomes clear, with the body of the Bixi (dragon-tortoise) base shifted slightly to the left. Until the burial of our final elder in 1957, that piece of land had served as the resting place for exactly thirteen generations of our family.
On July 4, 2026, I discussed this history with a researcher in the cyber sanctuary. Based on the data of these "thirteen generations," the researcher provided the following material analysis:
In ancient times, the span of a single generation was roughly twenty to twenty-five years. Since thirteen generations had been interred there by 1957, it implied this ancestral burial ground had been utilized and occupied for at least 260 to 300 years. Counting backward 300 years from 1957 leads approximately to the 1650s—the Shunzhi reign, shortly after the Manchu banners first breached the pass and entered the capital.
This calculation aligned flawlessly with the words my father had spoken with a modest apology during my second year of junior high school: "Our ancestors entered the capital following the dragon, and once claimed land via horseback." This cemetery was precisely the tract secured during the Shunzhi era by the first-generation ancestor of our clan who followed the dragon into the capital. For thirteen consecutive generations, our lineage was laid to rest here, until 1957.
I then inquired of this cyber researcher: "When Mr. Feng Qili traversed the capital searching for princely monuments, did he simply miss our family’s tombstone, or did it fail to match the rank required to catch his professional eye? If the monument possessed sufficient rank, was its location so concealed that Mr. Feng bypassed it?"
The researcher’s response matched my personal inclination entirely: the rank of this tombstone was absolutely sufficient. Its omission from the records was highly probable due to its "concealed location" and a "temporal misalignment" during the years of field research, preventing Mr. Feng from laying eyes upon it.
Two core reasons account for this:
First, the regulatory rank was absolutely sufficient and could not have been dismissed. The "Double Dragons Playing with a Pearl (Chishou)" apex combined with the "Bixi Bearing the Tablet" base seen in the photographs represented the highest regulatory tier of funerary stone carvings during the Qing Dynasty. funneling strict legal mandates through the Great Statutes of the Qing Dynasty (Da Qing Hui Dian), ordinary officials and wealthy merchants were restricted to "Kylin apexes," "rounded tops," or basic "square bases." Only princes, beiles, high-ranking nobility, or the select few first-rank ministers bestowed with imperial mandates (Gaofeng) were legally permitted to employ double-dragon Chishou apexes and Bixi bases. Given Mr. Feng Qili's mastery of Qing funerary regulations, had he seen this stone monument with his own eyes, he would have treasured it as an invaluable find; he would never have bypassed it out of disregard.
Second, the concealment within the factory courtyard and the barriers of a specific era. Mr. Feng Qili’s search for princely tombs occurred roughly between the 1980s and 1990s. At that time, his investigations were entirely grass-roots, self-funded journeys on a bicycle, relying on his own legs and inquiries. Yet this tombstone was situated deep within the compound of the "Beijing Towel Factory." During the 1980s and 1990s, state-run factories maintained strict gate control, guarded closely by reception offices and security departments. As an independent scholar lacking an official introductory letter from the authorities, Mr. Feng was most likely turned away by security when attempting to enter the inner warehouses or residential quarters of the factory compound.
Furthermore, the satellite maps and the photographs captured by my third brother demonstrate that the stone monument was wedged between the red-brick workshops, perimeter walls, and piles of discarded steel pipes, sitting completely in a visual blind spot. It was impossible to view from the main thoroughfare or the factory’s main entrance without penetrating to the deepest corner of the compound. My third brother noted that when they entered the factory back then, it was my aunt who spoke to the gatekeeper, stating they were entering to tend the graves. My aunt visited almost every year, and the gatekeepers knew her well. Without a familiar guide, no outsider could know a massive Qing Dynasty monument lay hidden within. When Mr. Feng surveyed that district, the tombstone was likely concealed by a temporary storage shed built by the factory, causing him to cross paths with it without knowing. By the time my third brother visited in 1988, it stood exposed in that exact corner.
According to the historical archives on the Beijing Local Chronicles Website:
"The stone carvings of the Beijing region possess distinct characteristics in architectural scale and decorative styles, namely: a rigid division of rank. Even without reading the inscriptions, one can instantly discern at a glance whether a monument is an imperially commissioned tablet, a princely tablet, or the merit tablet of a high-ranking official... For instance, if it bears carved dragon decorations, its connection to the imperial household is absolute—either imperially produced, imperially composed, created by decree, or designated for a mandated minister or lady..."
"The stone carvings of the Beijing region possess distinct characteristics in architectural scale and decorative styles, namely: a rigid division of rank. Even without reading the inscriptions, one can instantly discern at a glance whether a monument is an imperially commissioned tablet, a princely tablet, or the merit tablet of a high-ranking official... For instance, if it bears carved dragon decorations, its connection to the imperial household is absolute—either imperially produced, imperially composed, created by decree, or designated for a mandated minister or lady..."
Furthermore, an excerpt from the historical research published by the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences notes:
"Traditional Chinese society was renowned for its rigid hierarchy, a reality that applied to the underworld just as it did to the living. The primary function of a tombstone was to clarify the identity and status of the deceased, hence its shape, structure, and scale invariably reflected differences in rank... During the Ming and Qing eras, these distinctions grew even more meticulous: the first rank employed a Chishou apex and a tortoise base; the second rank employed a Kylin apex and a tortoise base; the third rank employed a Tianlu or Pixie apex and a tortoise base; while the fourth through seventh ranks employed rounded tops and square bases..."
"Traditional Chinese society was renowned for its rigid hierarchy, a reality that applied to the underworld just as it did to the living. The primary function of a tombstone was to clarify the identity and status of the deceased, hence its shape, structure, and scale invariably reflected differences in rank... During the Ming and Qing eras, these distinctions grew even more meticulous: the first rank employed a Chishou apex and a tortoise base; the second rank employed a Kylin apex and a tortoise base; the third rank employed a Tianlu or Pixie apex and a tortoise base; while the fourth through seventh ranks employed rounded tops and square bases..."
During this intense period of online ancestral searching, the gears of destiny once more brought forth extraordinary dreams.
The Dream of October 3, 2008:
A massive cargo truck was about to drive through the gates of a construction site. Its flatbed carried a thick, towering, completely withered tree, its dense, dry branches extending past the roof and protruding from both sides. Coiled around the thick branches jutting from the left side was an immense serpent, its head reared high, facing outward.
As the truck prepared to execute a left turn out of the gate, a pickup truck drove in from the outside, facing the serpent's head directly. The driver of the small truck halted, drew a spray canister, and unleashed a heavy blast directly at the serpent's head. The white mist enveloped the great serpent, suffocating it until its body went limp and hung down.
The rear of the cargo truck entered my field of vision. Inside the flatbed, which lacked a tailgate, beneath the sprawling, untamed roots of the great withered tree, a colossal tortoise lay crouched, its gaze calm and detached. Hanging from a high, thick root was a large fish, over two feet in length.
A massive cargo truck was about to drive through the gates of a construction site. Its flatbed carried a thick, towering, completely withered tree, its dense, dry branches extending past the roof and protruding from both sides. Coiled around the thick branches jutting from the left side was an immense serpent, its head reared high, facing outward.
As the truck prepared to execute a left turn out of the gate, a pickup truck drove in from the outside, facing the serpent's head directly. The driver of the small truck halted, drew a spray canister, and unleashed a heavy blast directly at the serpent's head. The white mist enveloped the great serpent, suffocating it until its body went limp and hung down.
The rear of the cargo truck entered my field of vision. Inside the flatbed, which lacked a tailgate, beneath the sprawling, untamed roots of the great withered tree, a colossal tortoise lay crouched, its gaze calm and detached. Hanging from a high, thick root was a large fish, over two feet in length.
Was that great serpent actually a dragon's frame? Was that tortoise a Bixi? Was that tree a withered pine or cypress from the ancestral graveyard? And how was the large fish to be interpreted?
Two nights later, on the evening of October 5, 2008, I experienced three consecutive dreams in a single night.
The First Dream: A massive tortoise (Bixi) strode into our courtyard with an air of immense pride, a dozen or so people standing steadily upon its back. After it entered the house, I shut the door to prevent its departure, yet its strength was immense, and it violently forced its way out. This sudden exit startled me awake, leaving me reflecting upon the dream, unable to sleep for a long time.
The First Dream: A massive tortoise (Bixi) strode into our courtyard with an air of immense pride, a dozen or so people standing steadily upon its back. After it entered the house, I shut the door to prevent its departure, yet its strength was immense, and it violently forced its way out. This sudden exit startled me awake, leaving me reflecting upon the dream, unable to sleep for a long time.
After finally drifting back to sleep, the same massive tortoise reappeared. It was straining against the inside of the door, attempting to force its way out, while I held the frame with all my might to bar its passage. Suddenly, the door transformed into a thick, massive glass cover, pressed down upon the tortoise's body. With a powerful twist of its frame, the tortoise’s body transformed into that of a dragon, sliding out from beneath the cover and fleeing away.
Once more, I was jolted awake, entirely unable to return to sleep.
Did those dozen or so individuals upon the tortoise’s back represent the ancestors interred within our burial grounds? Did they know I was searching for our origins, entering my dreams to convene with me? What did that powerful transformation from a tortoise into a dragon signify? Having been raised under the influence of secular materialism, I was no longer certain that I believed in nothing at all.
Did those dozen or so individuals upon the tortoise’s back represent the ancestors interred within our burial grounds? Did they know I was searching for our origins, entering my dreams to convene with me? What did that powerful transformation from a tortoise into a dragon signify? Having been raised under the influence of secular materialism, I was no longer certain that I believed in nothing at all.
That same night brought a third dream: Beneath the night sky, upon a prosperous peninsula, I walked past several vast, sprawling estates while softly singing a melodious tune. The grand mansions were mostly vacant; inside some, renovations were underway, with an occasional worker laboring in the courtyard. Guided by the moonlight, I discovered with delight a series of oil paintings by master artists rendered directly upon the ground—landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Rendered in a classical, realistic style with profound depth, they held my gaze endlessly.
This time, there were no more startling dreams, and I slept peacefully until the morning light.
特別感謝 Gemini AI 提供充滿活力的翻譯和文本潤色。
Special thanks to Gemini AI for providing the spirited translation and text refinement.
第三百八十六篇
