The Grave Robber General and the Curse of Eastern Qing

from Matter of Fact: A play on "matter" (physics) and "facts" (news). · host Larry White

Sun Dianying, a warlord and former drug dealer, used military exercises as a cover to dynamite and loot the tombs of Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Qianlong at the Eastern Qing Tombs in 1928. He plundered priceless treasures, including Cixi’s night-shining pearl and the Nine-Dragon Sword, using these artifacts to bribe high-ranking officials and evade legal consequences for years. Ultimately, Sun died in prison from a painful illness that mirrored the symptoms of Empress Cixi herself, while many others who possessed the stolen sword met violent ends.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 16, 2026

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