A Philippine King’s Tomb in China? The Lost History of Paduka Pahala (1417)-chinatravel

Believe it or not, a foreign king from the southern Philippines lies here. In China, his name was Badoga Bahala, he is the king of Sulu. In 1417, he visited the Yongle Emperor, fell ill on the return route and died here. Today, we step inside his tomb and uncover a 600-year friendship between China and the Philippines. Hello everyone, hoping you all have a wonderful day. We are in Dezhou, Shandong Province, China, along China's Grand Canal, home to a royal foreign monarch's mausoleum. In 1417, Badoga Bahala, East King of Sulu, led a royal mission to the Yongle Emperor of Ming Sulu lies in today's Philippines, an island nation on the Sulu Archipelago between Mandalore and Borneo. On the return journey, he fell ill and died in Dezhou. The Ming court buried him with royal rites. For centuries, this mausoleum has been carefully maintained, bearing witness to chapters of Eastern Asian diplomacy. After the East King of Sulu passed away, the Yongle Emperor ordered a mausoleum to be built for him in Dezhou, China, following the rites for a Chinese princely burial. In certain details, however, this tomb still differs markedly from the standard Chinese princely mausoleum. During the 1918 restoration, several additional structures were added to bring it closer to traditional ritual norms. The Spirit Way Steel Pavilion you see today is one of those 1980s additions. Inside this Spirit Way Steel Pavilion stands an inscription personally composed by the Yongle Emperor. In essence, it says he was deeply moved that Badoga Bahala came to China from afar and grieved that Bahala died suddenly here. The Emperor therefore ordered a mausoleum to be built in Dezhou, and allowed Bahala's wife and sons to remain here to guard the tomb. Unfortunately, the stele you are looking at is also a replica. The original imperial stele is now housed in a small side pavilion for conservation, while the large pavilion on the Spirit Way displays a 1980s replica. Placing the original in the smaller pavilion, less visible and away from heavy photography and flashes, helps prevent long-term damage to both the stele and the pavilion. Beyond the Yongle Emperor, another Chinese emperor who consistently took interest in this mausoleum was the Yongzheng Emperor. There is a large wooden ceremony arch Paifang behind the steel pavilion. It bears Chinese characters whose general meaning is that the Sulu East King's fame spreads afar and is widely known in China. And the person who wrote these characters is Mr. Qigong, a descendant of the Aisin Gioro imperial clan. During the Qing Dynasty, the Bahala's heirs also came to China many times to express thanks to the Qing and Ming dynasties for protecting their ancestors' tombs. During the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, he specifically ordered that the protection of Bahala's tomb be strengthened and that repairs be carried out continuously. And Mr. Qigong, who wrote these characters, is precisely a direct descendant of the Yongzheng Emperor. In Europe, monarchs are basically buried inside churches. By contrast, Chinese rulers not only have vast above-ground mausoleum complexes, but also commission all kinds of stone guardian figures. As I mentioned in an earlier episode, this customer of stone figures actually comes from Central Asia. The tomb of the Sulu East King Batoga Bahala, built in imitation of a Chinese imperial prince's mausoleum, is the same case. At the front stands a pile of stone lions, symbolizing guardianship and deterrence. Behind the lions is a pile of commemorative marker clums Wang Zhu, indicating a princely rank mausoleum. Behind the clums come the stone tigers, representing bravery and authority. They typically appear together with the lions and likewise signify protection of the mausoleum. Next are the stone sheep, symbols of harmony and tranquility. These often appear in princely tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties and in high-ranking burials, but are absolutely absent from imperial mausoleums. Further back is a house leading attendant from an ethnic minority, leading a house, a ceremonial human figure. Since King Batoga Bahala came from overseas, the groom here is carved with foreign features to signify his origin. Because of the passage of time and the centuries of wind and frost, this figure and the house are now severely weathered and damaged. At the end of the spiritual way line up stands a pile of civil official statues. In imperial China, a princely household maintained its own compact bureaucracy, so placing civil officials here reflects the administrative structure within a princely establishment. Let me introduce the heritage status of this tomb. It has been designated as a major historical and cultural site protected at the national level in China, which means its protection status is among the highest in the country. Behind the stone figures rests a grand gate roofed with green glass tiles. This is the Lin'an Gate, literally, the gate that receives favor. Beyond serving as a passage for the coffin, during the funeral rites, worshippers traditionally pose here to straighten their attire and compose themselves before proceeding. Now we have entered the formal ritual princely cage. The grand hall ahead is the Lin'an Hall, the principal venue for commemoration. Lin'an literally means to receive favor. What you see today is a Qing-style restoration. Under Ming-Qing regulations for princely mausoleum, only green glass tiles were permitted, hence the house's green roof. We are now inside the Lin'an Hall, the main ritual space for the mausoleum. The portrait before us depicts Baduga Bahala, is the king of Sulu, wearing full Ming princely jacket. His ceremonial robe was an imperial gift. It is embroidered with a mang, a special dragon-like motif. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, princes and high officials were permitted to wear mang-patterned robes, which signified special favor from the emperor. Outside the Lin'an Hall stand the East and West Side Halls. This one is the East Side Hall. The historical function of the East Side Hall is no longer sustainable. Today, it has been converted into a family museum, showcasing what the descendants of Baduga Bahala have done in China. Some of them became officials in the Qing dynasty. Because in the Yongzheng era, the emperor granted them Chinese nationality, allowing them to serve. Some even reached ranks roughly equivalent to city mayors today. Later, during the Republic of China period, some descendants joined the War of Residence against Japan, and a few died on the battlefield. Now, we are at the West Side Hall. Traditionally, in imperial mausoleum, these were where monks and lamas chanted scriptures. But because Baduga Bahala was Muslim, here it served mainly as a rest area for his family during ceremonies. Today, the hall displays Qing period artifacts. This document dates to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. At that time, a descendant of Baduga Bahala petitioned the Qing court to place the Sulu Sultanate under imperial sovereignty and military protection. Qianlong declined. Sulu was far from the China heartlands, and the court's strategic focus was prolonged wars against the Junker Mongols. But he acknowledged their loyalty and instructed officials to treat Sulu envies with respect. Behind the usual prince cage lies the burial zone. At its front stands a tomb stiller inscribed Tomb of the Sulu King Gongding. The two characters Gongding were best owned by the Ming imperial court. Gongding in Chinese means respectful and compliant, hitting at unequal footing between a small stage and a great power. This stiller is a His original tomb stiller went unprotected amid the prolonged warfare of the Republic of China era and was destroyed. Behind it is Baduga Bahala's tomb mound, also restored in the 1980s. The Ming Qing princely mausoleum there is usually an underground chamber beneath the mound. Here following Islamic custom, there is only the coffin with no underground palace. Is this king the only one led to rest quietly in China? The answer is no. This cemetery holds not only his consul's tomb, but also the tomb of his two sons. The people living in the surrounding area are all descendants of this king who came to China. Now let's take a look. When this king came to China, he brought his whole family, his queen and his first, second and third sons. After he passed away in Dezhou, likely because the weather was too cold and he caught severe cold, his queen and his second and third sons stayed in China. Their tombs stand beside the main tomb to the southeast. Here is the queen Ge Muning next to her second son Wen Hala, and beside that the third son An Dula. Interestingly, the descendants of the second and third sons took the Chinese surnames Wen and An, and the two lions do not intermarry. Since they share the same ancestor, you might ask where did the eldest son go? He returned home to inherit the throne. So the Sulu descendants who visited China in the Ming, Qing and modern eras are in fact from the eldest son's line. For centuries, worship here has never ceased. In this area, most residents carry the surnames Wen and An, direct relatives of the Sulu East King. During the Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty, they were granted formal Chinese nationality. Even as recognized Chinese citizens, they maintained their Islamic faith. That's why there is a large mosque beside the king's tomb for daily prayer. Alright, that's today's episode. Through this film, I also hope that people all around the world can live together in friendship and harmony. Thanks for watching, and please consider subscribing.