Tomb of Wu Cheng'en

Tomb of Wu Cheng'en

The Tomb of Wu Cheng'en is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Tomb of Wu Cheng'en is located in Erpu Village, Madian Township, 6 kilometers south of Huai'an City. It was robbed in the winter of 1974, and inscriptions such as "Jingfu Jishi" and "Coffin of Master Wu from Sheyang" were found on the coffin board. Local historical records confirm that Wu Cheng'en once served as the "Jingfu Jishi" in Hubei. In 1975, a tombstone belonging to Wu Cheng'en’s father, Juweng, was discovered near the tomb. Based on this, it was determined that the tomb marked with “Jingfu Jishi” and “Coffin of Master Wu from Sheyang” belonged to Wu Cheng'en. The tomb contains three coffins: Wu Cheng'en is buried in the left one, while his wives, Lady Ye and Lady Niu, share the right one, making it a joint burial. In 1981, a tomb shaft belonging to Wu Cheng'en was found west of his father’s tomb, and within it, Wu Cheng'en’s skull was discovered. The skull has since been scientifically reconstructed into a half-body statue by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is now displayed at his former residence. Due to the robbery, the tomb was restored in 1982. It is an earthen vertical-shaft tomb, approximately 2.5 meters long and 5 meters wide, with no tomb passage. In front of the tomb stands a stele inscribed “Tomb of Wu Cheng'en, Attendant of the Jing Principality,” along with a four-pillar, three-gate memorial archway and a pavilion with upturned eaves.

On June 5, 2006, the Tomb of Wu Cheng'en was designated as part of the sixth group of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province.

Wu Cheng'en (circa 1500–1582), courtesy name Ruzhong, also known as Sheyang Shanren, was a Han Chinese from Shanyang County, Huai'an Prefecture (now Huai'an District, Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province). His ancestral home was in Gaodian, Tongcheng, Anhui (now Gaodian, Yutan Township, Zongyang County), and due to his ancestors’ settlement in Gaodian, Zongyang, his family was referred to as the Gaodian Wu family. He was an outstanding novelist of the Ming Dynasty and the author of one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels, Journey to the West. Born into a family that had declined from scholarly officials to merchants, he grew up in relative poverty. Wu Cheng'en was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. According to the Huai'an Prefecture Annals, he was described as “quick-witted and highly intelligent, well-read in many fields, and able to write essays effortlessly.” However, he did not perform well in the imperial examinations... More details about Wu Cheng'en ++

Further reading:

· Sixth Group of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province