HANGING COFFINS

Hanging coffins are coffins which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In China, they are known as Xuanguan (simplified Chinese: 悬棺; traditional Chinese: 懸棺; pinyin: Xuánguān) which also means "hanging coffin".


Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some minority groups, especially the Bo people of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces.

It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally.


The Hanging Coffins of Sagada is definitely one of the most popular tourist spot in Mountain Province. Visiting this old world burial site only involves a short hike but one thing more interesting is you will have to pass by an American influenced cemetery which is located on a hilltop called Echo Valley.

Trekking to the hilltop was a chilly and easy journey but seeing a Globe Telecom Cell Site right at the back of the Calvary replica was rather disappointing. After just a short walk down to the place called Echo Valley, the disappointment we had was eased after seeing the magnificent view of Sagada’s rocky village and the jaw-dropping view of the Hanging Coffins.