In Hubei, China, there is a man-made cave known as the Cave of the Fairies. Once, it was believed that magical beings lived in the cave.
But when people actually looked inside, they found something altogether different. Hanging up to 50 meters (165 ft) over their heads were 131 old, decaying coffins.
Some of the coffins were hanging from wooden stakes, while others had been wedged into openings in the rocks. The coffins were huge.[5] Each one was carved out of a single tree trunk and weighed more than 100 kilograms (220 lb). Some, though, had been torn apart and ripped up.
These coffins were all 1,200 years old, put up by ancient Bo people. They had been hung up, it is believed, as part of a religious ritual meant to bless the dead and keep wild animals from eating their bodies.
The damage happened only 50 years ago. In the 1960s, it is believed, someone found the coffins and, instead of reporting the discovery, tore the wood out for firewood—desecrating an ancient grave to get a few moments of heat.