Tomb raiders in China were given the fright of their lives when they ransacked a grave in their ruthless search for archaeological treasure.
Rummaging through what looked like old sacks containing priceless artifacts, they instead unearthed a 130-year-old mummified body preserved with an expression likely to haunt them for life.
In near perfect condition with teeth and skin intact, the gaping mouthed mummy also sports the then hairstyle of the day – the queue, a unique cut imposed on the majority Han Chinese ethnic group during the Qing Dynasty.
As seen in these grisly photos, the mummy had, up to the time of his death, his head close-shaved every ten days but wore the crown and back long, weaving the signature braided feet-long ponytail.
The hairstyle was compulsory for all males. Those who disobeyed the ruling Qing’s orders at the barbers were accused of disloyalty – and executed for treason.
The 21st Century grave robbers might escape the death penalty for looting the country of its 5000 years of cultural history.
But they still face severe punishment as the government and police attempt to clamp down on the lucrative illegal tomb raiding industry.
Not that the punitive threats seem to deter thousands of ghoulish thieves who use increasingly sophisticated methods to carry out their reckless plundering.
Many deploy bulldozers and dynamite to access thousands of sensitive tombs often located deep underground and in remote locations.
Once inside the ancient catacombs, they put on night vision goggles to scan the chambers for valuable relics, which they then sell to dealers who smuggle much of the treasure out of the country and onto the highly profitable international black market.
Experts believe nine in every 10 tombs in China has been raided, denying the country of its illustrious and unique heritage.
Many of the graves survived the ransacking deeds of the Red Guards who vandalised countless cultural works during Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
But grave robbing has become a way for many to get rich quick ever since China embarked on economic reform in the 1980s.
The government is now vowing to crackdown harder on the tomb raiders. Culture officials are devoting more manpower, money and security to the sensitive sites – and say they will attempt to trace the artefacts as they change hands around the world.
The mummy’s family burial chamber, located in Ningde, Fujian Province, dates back to 1882 and was a four-roomed Phoenix Tomb – all of which was raided.
The grave site was previously robbed in the 1950s but the thieves offered a semblance of respect to the dead and left the mummies and the structures intact.
But the 21st tomb raiders, once over the scare of their horror find, searched and destroyed what they did not rob.