Tomb of Zhao Yi

Tomb of Zhao Yi

The Tomb of Zhao Yi is a cultural relic protection unit of Wuxi City.

The Tomb of Zhao Yi is located at the foot of Bogu Mountain in Taowu, Mashan, Wuxi City, and was built in the 20th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1815).

Zhao Yi, styled Yun Song and also known as Ou Bei, was a poet and historian. He passed the imperial examination in the 26th year of the Qianlong reign (1761), and once served as the Prefect of Zhen'an in Guangxi and the Western Pacification Commissioner of Guizhou. Later, he resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown Yanghu (present-day Wujin, Jiangsu), where he lectured at the Anding Academy in Yangzhou for five years, and spent the remaining over thirty years at home dedicated to writing. Zhao Yi achieved significant accomplishments in the field of history, and authored works such as Twenty-Two Histories Notes (《廿二史札记》), Miscellaneous Studies from the Studio (《陔余丛考》), and Lu You’s Chronicle (《陆放翁年谱》). In Twenty-Two Histories Notes, through exploring the evolution of historical writings, he evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, raised several questions, arranged historical facts as presented in the original texts, conducted comparisons and examinations, and offered his own insights. It stands as an important historical work of the Qing Dynasty.

The tombstone of Zhao Yi was erected by his sons Ting Jun, Ting Ying, and Ting Yan, as well as his grandsons and great-grandsons. The inscription on the stone lists Zhao’s official titles: “Qing Dynasty’s Imperially Bestowed Middle-Grade Scholar, Imperial Examination Top Graduate, Compiler at the Hanlin Academy, Pacification Commissioner of Western Guizhou, Attended the Repeated Invitation to the Imperial Banquet in the Year of Gengwu, and Posthumously Elevated to Third Rank.”