Tomb of Zhang Min

Tomb of Zhang Min

The Tomb of Zhang Min is located at the foot of Yellow Crane Mountain in the southern suburbs of Zhenjiang City, on the east side of Linyin Road. It was discovered in July 1974 and excavated and organized by the Zhenjiang Museum. The tomb is a rectangular vertical-shaft brick-and-stone structure. All four walls were built with blue bricks measuring 29.5×14×3.8 cm laid in staggered joints, while the ceiling consists of six long stone slabs, each measuring 1.55 meters long, 0.16 meters thick, and 0.61–0.77 meters wide, laid horizontally. The burial chamber is 3.5 meters long, 1–1.04 meters wide, and 1.25 meters high, with an orientation of 250 degrees. There is no flooring of bricks at the base of the tomb; instead, a protruding long stone slab is placed horizontally at both ends of the tomb to support the coffin. Unfortunately, the funerary objects and skeletal remains have all decayed and are no longer present, with only a few iron coffin nails remaining. A total of 11 pieces of porcelain, one lacquer tray, and one stone epitaph were unearthed. Among the porcelain items are: a soy-sauce-glazed porcelain bottle, shadow-blue porcelain cups, saucers, bowls, and plates, as well as celadon bottles and boxes—some with rims inlaid with gold or silver. According to the seal script on the epitaph cover: "Epitaph of the Late Song Dynasty Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Retired Official Zhang," the tomb's occupant was Zhang Min, a scholar of the Tian Sheng fifth year (1027) of the Northern Song Dynasty and Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.