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The Birth of An Emperor - King Taksin The Great |
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"Tae" Ancestor's Cemetery |
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In the reign of Emperor Kangxi, there was a small village in the south of China, known today as Chenghai (Teng Hai), a district in the city of Shantou, located in the southeast of Guangdong Province. The father of a Tae Ancestor had passed away for nearly a year but the family still could not find a suitable place for the cemetery. |
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Later in the year, the family had a chance to offer food to a passer-by who happened to be a Feng Shui master. As a token of appreciation, the master recommended a plot of land he found during his recent travel for the father's cemetery. |
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Crow Shape Plot |
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The Feng Shui Master mentioned that the plot of land which he came across during his travel was similar to the shape of a crow and would be most ideal for the Tae Family. He further explained that if they buried their father in this plot of land, their succeeding generations would one day become powerful in the land.
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The Feng Shui Master then stayed with the Tae Family to oversee the construction of the cemetery as well as the proper burial of the father. |
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Crows are considered to exceed all birds in terms of gratefulness. They are different from other birds and will make it their duty to feed their aging parents. It is a Feng Shui belief that having a cemetery in the crow shape plot of land will bring about descendants with deep gratitude and will also become powerful in the land. |
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The Birth of King Taksin The Great |
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When Emperor Kangxi died, Manchu-led Qing Dynasty was under the rule of Emperor Yongzhen (Yong-Cheng) and Emperor Qianlong consecutively. It was during the reign of Emperor Qianlong that the father of King Taksin the Great migrated to Thailand with the birth of King Taksin in later years. |
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King Taksin the Great was the direct descendant of the Tae Ancestor whose cemetery was of a crow shape. Gratitude towards his birth soil was one of his main characteristics. Therefore, when the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was conquered by the Burmese, he became the leader in the liberation of Siam from the Burmese occupation; and after the subsequent unification of Siam, he was proclaimed King of Thonburi Dynasty. The legend of Feng Shui had it that the influence of the Tae Ancestors Cemetery had significantly contributed towards his success. |
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Destruction of the Cemetery |
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During his reign, King Taksin once welcomed a visiting relative from China and upon departure, arrangements were made for the relative to take back 10 jars of pickled vegetables to share with those in China. |
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Giving pickled vegetables as a gift had profoundly upset his relative. Out of extreme anger, the relative threw away nine jars of pickled vegetables into the sea while sailing home. His followers thought the remaining one jar could be a good food supply during the long journey, so had asked to keep it. When opened, it was found that the jar did not contain pickled vegetables, but pure gold. This made the relative much more furious as King Taksin made no mention that the jars were fully packed with pure gold. |
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When returning to China, the relative did not reveal the truth about the pure gold to anyone. Moreover, he became the cause of serious misunderstandings amongst other relatives that they all went to destroy the Tae Ancestors Cemetery so as to deprive King Taksin of any ancestral support. |
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From the Feng Shui treatise, the destruction of the Tae Ancestors cemetery had likewise caused the fall of King Taksin the Great. |
