On May 20, 1625 (the 6th day of the 5th month of the 6th year of the Hongzhi reign), a catastrophic event occurred in the ancient capital of Beijing during the Ming Dynasty, specifically at the southwest corner of the imperial palace (now Xuanwu Gate). The destruction was so severe that even today, those who hear the story feel a sense of horror and bewilderment.
On that clear morning, a loud noise erupted, resembling a scream. From the northeast, moving towards the southwest of the capital, the sky darkened, as if the earth was shaking, and thousands of homes collapsed. Chaotic and colorful, a mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke rose high into the sky, lingering for a long time before dissipating. The destruction stretched from the streets near Shuncheng Gate in the east to Xingbu Street in the north, covering three to four miles, with a circumference of 13 miles. Thousands of homes and over twenty thousand people were reduced to dust, bricks, and debris falling from the sky. Pieces of human remains—from heads, shoulders, ears, and noses to arms and legs—were also hurled from above.
On the street, pieces of human remains piled up, emitting a foul odor. The death toll was tragic. Donkeys, cows, dogs, horses, pigs, and chickens also perished. Within the Forbidden City, over 2,000 workers were engaged in construction; they were violently thrown from high scaffolding, their bodies shattered. Plants were uprooted, flying far away. On Foma Avenue, a stone lion weighing 2,500 kg was blown out of Shuncheng Gate. The royal elephant enclosure on Xianglai Street was completely destroyed, causing the elephants to panic and flee in all directions.
Many victims died in bizarre positions. On Chengensu Street, eight men carrying a palanquin with a girl were struck by disaster; the palanquin was shattered in the street, and both the girl inside and her bearers vanished. At the rear market gate, a visitor from Shaoxing was conversing with six people when suddenly his head was blown off, and his body and limbs fell to the ground, yet the other six remained unharmed.
One peculiar aspect everyone noted was that the dead, injured, and those unharmed were all stripped of their clothing in the moment of disaster, left completely naked. On Nguyen Hong Khue Street, a palanquin carrying a girl was passing when the disaster struck, tearing off the roof of the palanquin; the girl inside was left naked, yet her body was entirely intact. A servant for a certain official, during the catastrophe, was stunned to find all his clothes, including shoes and hat, stripped away. One man, with a broken thigh, looked around to see men and women completely naked, with no fabric to cover themselves. Some covered their private parts with pieces of tiles, others with foot wraps, while some grabbed bed linens or torn skirts to shield themselves… People exchanged glances, caught between laughter and tears, with no other options available. One favorite concubine of an official, buried under rubble, heard someone shout from above, “Is anyone down there?” and cried out, “Help me!” When she was finally dug out, it was discovered that she had no clothing on. The official’s clerk rushed to cover her with his long robe, allowing her to ride a donkey back home.
Where did everyone’s clothes go? After the disaster, some reported that all the clothing had blown to the western mountains, miles away (1 Chinese mile ~ 0.5 km), with most hanging on the treetops. Zhang Fangkui, the head of the Ministry of Household (the department overseeing public affairs during the Ming Dynasty), dispatched a “Chief” (essentially a clerk) to investigate, and indeed, it was found that at the Xiangping School in the western mountains, clothes were piled up. Jewelry, money, dishes… nothing was missing.
On the 360th anniversary of the Beijing disaster in 1986, the Beijing Geological Society and over 20 organizations held a scientific conference to investigate the causes of this horrific event. Scholars presented various theories but could not reach a consensus. The main theories suggested atmospheric static electricity, earthquakes igniting gunpowder stores, or the explosive effects of geothermal energy… These ideas were novel and strange but difficult to explain, especially since the temperature was low and there was no fire when the disaster struck. The phenomenon of people being stripped of their clothing was particularly bizarre.
The emperor at the time, Tianqi Zhu Zaiyu, believed that the disaster was a punishment for his poor governance, and he issued a “self-criticism edict” to reprimand himself. However, upon closer examination, this terrifying disaster could only be regarded as an unprecedented mysterious phenomenon.
