Tomb of Fan Hongxian

Tomb of Fan Hongxian

The Tomb of Fan Hongxian is a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Tomb of Fan Hongxian is located on the eastern slope of Dongmaya, in the Zhongshan Mausoleum Scenic Area in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.

The original tomb complex was quite large, featuring an archway, a memorial path, a sacrificial hall, and a stele pavilion. It was severely damaged during the Anti-Japanese War, and the tomb was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. On October 21, 1972, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government began restoration work on the tomb. At the same time, the remains of Fan’s wife, Li Zhenru, an old member of the Tongmenghui, were moved from Tangshan Grave Mound to be interred together with Fan.

Fan Hongxian, whose given name was Qiguang and courtesy name Hongxian, was born in 1882 into a poor farming family in Hefei, Anhui. In the spring of 1908, Fan left home for Shanghai to join the revolutionary movement and became a member of the Tongmenghui. Together with Zhang Binglin, Song Jiaoren, Chen Qimei, and Yu Youren, he founded the newspaper Minhu Ribao (The People's Cry) in Shanghai, where Fan served as the chief editor. Writing under the pen name “Lonely Swan,” he frequently published articles advocating revolution, promoting republicanism, and exposing the corruption and darkness of the Qing Dynasty, making him a target of both domestic and foreign reactionaries. When Sun Yat-sen launched the “Second Revolution,” an armed campaign against Yuan Shikai, Fan personally traveled to Wuhu to lead troops in the fight against Yuan. After the failure of the Second Revolution, he went to Japan. In 1914, upon Sun Yat-sen’s orders, he returned to Shanghai from Japan to launch anti-Yuan military operations. Yuan Shikai had placed a bounty of 100,000 silver dollars for Fan’s capture. In the early hours of September 20, 1914, while drafting military documents at Gordon Road, Fan was murdered by four assassins sent by Yuan Shikai. He was 32 years old at the time.

News of Fan Hongxian’s murder shocked the nation. Dr. Sun Yat-sen sent a telegram summoning Fan’s wife, Li Zhenru, to Japan, where he personally offered condolences and financial support. He spoke highly of Fan’s life and promised, “After the success of the revolution, Fan Hongxian will surely be given a state funeral.” In September 1929, the Central Committee of the Kuomintang decided to bury Fan Hongxian within the Zhongshan Mausoleum complex. On March 21, 1935, the KMT Central Committee posthumously promoted Fan to the rank of General of the Army and established a funeral preparation committee to handle his burial arrangements. In November of the same year, KMT representatives traveled to Shanghai to bring Fan’s coffin to Nanjing, where it was temporarily placed in the National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine in the First Park. On February 18, 1936, the Nationalist Government and various sectors of society held a public memorial ceremony at the shrine. His state funeral was held on February 19.

The current tomb complex is far less grand than its original scale. At the entrance of Dongmaya, there stands an archway inscribed with the words “Martyr Fan Hongxian’s Memorial Path” at the top. It is unclear whose handwriting this is. There is also a piece of unpolished granite, originally used in the construction of the tomb, measuring approximately 1.5 meters in length, 0.7 meters in width, and 0.2 meters in thickness. The gravel path of the memorial route has been paved with cement. Midway along the path, there is a stone pavilion with an inscription attributed to [unknown] reading “Martyr Fan Hongxian Memorial Pavilion.” However, the couplet on the pavilion does not appear to be in [the same] handwriting. In April 1973, the tomb was renovated, and a new joint burial stele for Fan Hongxian and Li Zhenru was erected in front of the tomb. A new sacrificial altar was also built in front of the stele. The central part of the tombstone bears the inscription by Kuomintang elder Yu Youren: “Tomb of General Fan Hongxian of the Army.” Below it reads: “Interred here with his wife Li Zhenru in 1973.” The tomb of Fan Hongxian is now designated as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Fan Hongxian (1882–1914)

In the history of the Xinhai Revolution, there was a Hefei-native martyr known as the “Number One Contributor to the Recovery of Nanjing.” After his death, he was laid to rest in the Zhongshan Mausoleum, guarding the tomb of Liao Zhongkai. Back in his hometown of Hefei, there was also a primary school named after him. He was one of the “Three Hefei Martyrs of the Xinhai Revolution” (the other two being Ni Yingdian and Wu ?Dgu), and was posthumously awarded the rank of General of the Army by the Nanjing Nationalist Government at the time.

The Pen Mightier Than a Hundred Thousand Troops

“He was by no means just a literati; he deeply understood that relying solely on public opinion… More details about Fan Hongxian ++

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units