Tomb of Cao Ding

Tomb of Cao Ding

The Tomb of Cao Ding is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Tomb of Cao Ding is located midway along Chengshan Highway, about 4 kilometers south of Nantong City. A road median garden has been built around the burial mound.

Cao Ding was a native of Yuxi in Nantong County and originally worked as a salt laborer. In the mid-Ming Dynasty, the coastal areas were frequently harassed by Japanese pirates. In the 33rd year of the Jiajing reign (1554), Cao Ding enlisted in the army. Over the following four years, he took part in several key battles including naval engagements on the river, the defense of Tongcheng, and the pursuit battle at Danjiadian. In every battle, Cao Ding fought bravely at the forefront. Despite suffering dozens of wounds, he never retreated. He killed hundreds of enemies but never sought credit or official position, earning widespread admiration. In April of the 36th year of the Jiajing reign (1557), Cao Ding fought the pirates 50 li north of the city and pursued them to Danjiadian (present-day Pingchao in Nantong). Due to muddy conditions from rain, his warhorse slipped, and he was killed by the pirates at the age of just 44. In the 40th year of the Jiajing reign (1561), he was buried south of Tongcheng. The original grave was an earthen mound. By 1921, it was reconstructed into a square platform in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, with a base width of 3.8 meters, top width of 3.2 meters, and height of 1.6 meters. Atop the mound stands a 2.5-meter-tall equestrian statue holding a sword, commemorating Cao Ding’s achievements in resisting the pirates.

Approximately 0.5 kilometers north of the Tomb of Cao Ding lies the Tomb of the Wokou (Japanese Pirates). Originally a smoke signal beacon tower from the Ming Dynasty used for defense and alerts, it was later repurposed as a burial site for pirate corpses. A pavilion called Jingguan Ting was built atop it in 1910 by Zhang Jian and others but was later demolished. It was rebuilt in September 1982.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province