Introduction to Grave Robbers’ Chronicles (Dao Mu Bi Ji) Novel

Daomu Biji, also known in English as The Lost Tomb or Tomb Notes, is a supernatural / adventure novel series that follows Wu Xie and his comrades on their exploration of ancient tombs across modern-day China and their uncovering of many mysteries behind this deadly tomb-robbing business.

Together with Gui Chui Deng (English: Ghost Blows Out The Light), Daomu Biji is widely recognised to have pioneered a formerly unexplored genre and opened up a whole new era for Chinese novels – what is now often dubbed as ‘The Tomb Robbing Era‘.

With a sprawling universe spread across a timeline of more than 50 years and a diverse set of characters interwoven in a remarkably complex plot, Daomu Biji has been nominated for several prestigious Literary Awards. Since its beginning in 2006, the first 8 physical books of the novel have sold more than 12 million copies in China1Source: Baidu, and the series has rightfully earned the status of a ‘Super IP’ (Super Intellectual Property) – a title typically reserved for the most critically acclaimed, valuable franchises of China – thus enabling Nan Pai San Shu, its author, to become one of the richest writers in the country.

Original name: 盗墓笔记 (Dàomù Bǐjì)

Author: 南派三叔 (Nán Pài Sān Shū), also known as Xu Lei or Kennedy Xu

Running year: 2006 – Now

Status in country of origin: Ongoing at 1400+ chapters

Genre: Mystery, Adventure, Supernatural, Action, Drama, Comedy

Below is the introduction to Daomu Biji novel, taken and translated from Qidian, the official online publisher:

“50 years ago, a group of grave robbers in Changsha discovered a silk script belonging to the Warring States period that pointed them to the location of a mysterious ancient tomb.

50 years later, one of the grave robbers’ grandson discovered that secret in his grandfather’s notebook. He then gathered a group of professional grave robbers to hunt down the ancient tomb’s treasure. Little did they expect to encounter so many strange things in the tomb: a bizarre 7-coffin structure, a fox-shaped blue-eyed mummy, then a giant tree filled with corpse-eating insects…

Who was really buried in this tomb? Would they be able to find the owner’s real coffin? This story is full of suspense and unusual twists – a must read!”

Daomu Biji has also been translated and published in English under the name Grave Robbers’ Chronicles. The English translation consists of 6 paperback books and is also available in Kindle edition.

As of July 2019, the novel is still ongoing and has spanned more than 1400 chapters (inclusive of the main story, sequels, prequels as well as extra stories). In addition, it has been adapted into several comic serialisations, stage plays, dramas and stand-alone movies. An animated series has also been officially announced in June 2019. For a comprehensive picture of all the Daomu Biji works that exist across different media, you can refer to this detailed post on the correct order to read and watch Daomu Biji.

To have an overview of the main events that take place in the big universe of Daomu, you can also check out the English summaries of all volumes in Daomu Biji novel.