Terrifying rumors surround the most mysterious treasure housed within the Forbidden City.

The precious dragon chair

In the Hall of Supreme Harmony within the Forbidden City (now the Palace Museum) in Beijing, China, there is a chair famous for the legend surrounding it. It is the dragon chair, placed in the center of the hall. Outwardly, the chair appears completely ordinary; it is painted and gilded like other dragon chairs, and beautifully carved with dragon motifs.

In fact, this dragon chair was originally discarded in a warehouse at the end of the Qing Dynasty. It wasn't until after the founding of the People's Republic of China that historians rediscovered it and had it restored. It is known that this dragon chair was crafted during the Ming Dynasty and continued to be used during the Qing Dynasty.

The precious dragon throne in the Taihe Palace is shrouded in terrifying rumors. (Photo: Sohu)

Many believed this dragon chair was made of gold, but after the Eight-Nation Alliance entered the Forbidden City, they scraped off the gold plating. It was then revealed that the chair was actually made of gold-plated wood.

However, the type of wood used to make this dragon chair is extremely valuable.

According to scientists , only three types of wood are used to make dragon chairs, and their price is much higher than gold.

Firstly, it's birch wood. Since ancient times, birch has been considered a low-yielding, high-priced tree. The birch trees chosen for dragon chairs are usually very old and rare.

Secondly , there is rosewood. During the feudal era, only the royal family was allowed to use this type of wood. Rosewood has a subtle fragrance and is very hard, so it was highly sought after at that time.

Thirdly , there is nanmu wood. This type of wood is even more expensive than gold. In the royal family, only the most precious items were made from this wood.

The terrifying rumors about the dragon chair.

Despite its immense value, the dragon throne has been the subject of many strange occurrences. Even Empress Dowager Cixi, a woman of great power, dared not sit on it. According to unofficial historical accounts, three individuals died mysteriously after sitting on the throne.

The first person was Li Zicheng. He was the one who overthrew the Ming dynasty to seize the throne. However, he had only been on the throne for less than 40 days when Wu Sangui usurped the throne and hunted him down. Li Zicheng then died under mysterious circumstances.

Many people believe that the dragon chair causes the mysterious death of those who sit on it, but scientists refute this idea. (Image: Sohu)

The second person was Yuan Shikai. Although not the emperor, he was the one who intimidated and drove the Qing emperor out of the palace. Afterwards, Yuan Shikai rebuilt the Forbidden City. Strangely, Yuan Shikai kept the dragon throne but stored it in a warehouse and ordered another one made in a Western style.

He didn't want to be seen as the emperor of the old regime, so he did that. However, there are rumors that Yuan Shikai once sat on this dragon throne and died mysteriously 83 days later.

The third was Waldersee, the leader of the Eight-Nation Alliance. Not long after he ascended the throne, Waldersee also died mysteriously.

However, scientists believe this is merely a rumor surrounding the dragon chair. Furthermore, when the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied the Forbidden City, many people took turns sitting on this dragon chair to take photos. Therefore, the claim that the dragon chair has the power to curse those who sit on it is incorrect.

Quoc Thai (Source: Sohu)

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