Tomb of Qian Daxin

Tomb of Qian Daxin

The Tomb of Qian Daxin is a cultural heritage site protected at the municipal level in Shanghai.

The Tomb of Qian Daxin is located in Qingzhu Garden, Xucun Village, Waigang Town, dating back to the Qing Dynasty.

It is situated in Qingzhu Garden, Waigang Township, by the Liánqítáng River. On the southern side of the tomb path, there is an inscribed stone horse that reads: “Built in October of the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign.” The tomb was destroyed in 1966. In November 1984, during the academic symposium commemorating the 180th anniversary of Qian Daxin’s death, jointly organized by the Jiading County Culture Bureau and the Shanghai Linguistics Society, the tomb was reconstructed. The tombstone was rewritten by Gu Tinglong. The tomb covers an area of 450 square meters.

Qian Daxin was born on the seventh day of the first lunar month in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign (February 16, 1728) and died on the twentieth day of the tenth lunar month in the ninth year of the Jiaqing reign (November 2, 1804). In his early years, he gained fame across the Jiangnan region for his poetry and essays. In the 16th year of the Qianlong reign (1751), when Emperor Qianlong made his southern tour, Qian submitted a literary piece and was awarded the title of Imperial Examination Graduate. He later served as a Middle Secretary in the Grand Secretariat. In the 19th year of Qianlong’s reign, he passed the imperial examination and was promoted to Hanlin Academician and Lecturer. In the 34th year, he entered the Imperial Study to tutor the 12th prince. He participated in the compilation of the “Records of Rehe,” and was known alongside Ji Yun as “Qian of the South, Ji of the North.” He also contributed to the compilation of works such as “A Detailed Study of Phonology,” “Continuation of the Comprehensive Examination of Literature,” “Continuation of the General Records,” “The Unified Gazetteer,” and “The Celestial Globe Chart.”

The Tomb of Qian Daxin is extremely simple, consisting only of a single stele and a memorial table. On both sides of the tomb path stand pairs of stone beasts and stone horses, with the lower part of the stone beasts inscribed with “October of the 25th Year of Jiaqing.” The tombstone is not the original one; the one standing today was inscribed in 1984 by the late Gu Tinglong, former director of the Shanghai Library and a renowned scholar of traditional Chinese studies.

The Tomb of Qian Daxin is a cultural heritage site protected at the district level in Jiading.

On April 4, 2014, the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government designated and announced the Tomb of Qian Daxin as a municipal-level cultural heritage site in Shanghai (Shanghai Government Document No. [2014] 29).

Protected area: 10 meters around the perimeter of the tomb garden.

Construction control zone: 10 meters around the perimeter of the tomb garden.

Qian Daxin (1728–1804), courtesy name Xiaozheng, also known as Xinmei, and literary name Zhuting, was a native of Jiading, Jiangsu. At the age of fifteen, he became a student at a local academy and was regarded as a child prodigy. Initially studying under Shen Deqian from Changzhou, he excelled in writing and was considered the foremost among the “Seven Masters of Wu.” However, he later sighed and said, “If the classics are not yet mastered, why embellish them with superficial skills?” Thus, he extensively read various texts, mastered the Six Arts, and strove to become a well-rounded scholar. When Wang Jun, the head of the Ziyang Academy and an imperial censor, inquired about local talent from Wang Mingshao, a court official and Qian’s brother-in-law, Wang recommended Qian. Wang Mingshao was indeed Qian’s brother-in-law. The imperial censor then informed Governor Ya, who summoned Qian to the academy. Qian was tested on two essays, one on the “Rites of Zhou” and the other on the “Comprehensive Examination of Literature,” and wrote over a thousand words... More details about Qian Daxin ++

Xucun Village: Located in the eastern part of Waigang Town, Jiading District, Xucun Village borders the Juyuan New Area to the east. The village covers a total area of 1.83 square kilometers, with 332 households and a total population of 1,152, including 756 agricultural residents. The arable land area is 1,417.49 mu, with a per capita land area of 1.23 mu. In recent years, under the leadership of various levels of government and with the support of all villagers, upholding the great banner of – theory and guided by the important thought of –, the village Party branch and the village committee have led all villagers toward common prosperity, accelerating economic development, strengthening the village’s economic base, and vigorously developing agriculture... More details about Xucun Village ++