Tomb of Gu Xiancheng

Tomb of Gu Xiancheng

The Tomb of Gu Xiancheng is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Tomb of Gu Xiancheng is located at the western end of Laowanli, Chenguang Community, Anzhen Subdistrict, Xishan District, Wuxi City, north of Xiyu Road and west of You Shen Road. According to historical records, the tomb faces west with its back to the east—its head resting on Hou Mountain to the east and its feet pointing toward Furong Mountain to the west. To the north lies the Beixingtang River, while to the south stands the Fanguang Zhizuo Temple. The Banqiao Port, which flows into the Beitan River, runs across in front of the tomb. The site was renovated during the Qing Dynasty, and at the westernmost entrance stands a pair of square stone pillar markers. Behind them is a four-pillar, three-bay, sky-piercing stone memorial archway. Further back lies the spirit way, flanked by stone statues made of bluestone: two stone sheep, two stone tigers, two stone horses, and four stone figures (two civil officials on the left and two military officers on the right).

In 1983, the Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Management Committee allocated funds for restoration, which was completed in September 1985. The stone tigers were repositioned on both sides of the spirit way, and steps, an enclosing wall (luocheng), and a burial mound (baoding) were reconstructed. The tombstone was recarved, and other stone carving fragments were displayed. In June 1988, the “Tomb of Gu Xiancheng” was designated as a Wuxi County-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the Wuxi County Government and is now a Wuxi Municipal-level Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Today, the Tomb of Gu Xiancheng retains its original orientation and, similar to the current state of the Tomb of Emperor Jing of Liang in Jiangyin, is surrounded by water on the west, north, and east, with a factory wall adjacent to the south. At the westernmost end of the tomb site, a new four-pillar, three-bay, sky-piercing stone memorial archway has been erected, with the inscription “Ming Duanwen Gong Gu Xiancheng Tomb Path” on both the front and back. At the entrance of the spirit way behind the archway, a small crescent-shaped pool has been added. The spirit way was rebuilt in the 1980s, is 5 meters wide, and 40 meters long. In the middle section of the spirit way stand a pair of stone tigers made of bluestone—the only relatively intact relics from the original tomb. A pair of stone lions flank the burial mound. Both the luocheng and the burial mound were reconstructed in the 1980s. The luocheng is about one person’s height high, with a pair of pillar markers standing on the left and right at the tomb entrance. Parts of the luocheng and the walls of the rear tomb chamber incorporate some original stone components, blending old and new elements.

In the center of the luocheng, a baoding made of bluestone is stacked, approximately 2 meters high. Directly in front of the baoding stands a tombstone, with the inscription “Tomb of Ming Duanwen Gong Gu Xiancheng” carved in regular script on the front. The top of the tablet features cloud-and-crane relief carvings, surrounded by decorative scroll cloud patterns, giving it an ancient charm. However, the space between the luocheng and the baoding is quite narrow, allowing only one person to pass through with difficulty to walk around and pay respects to the tomb.

Gu Xiancheng (1550–1612) was a renowned scholar of the Ming Dynasty, hailing from Wuxi (now part of Jiangsu Province). His courtesy name was Shushi, and his pseudonym was Jingyang. He was widely known as Master Donglin. A successful candidate in the imperial examinations of the Wanli era, he served as Langzhong (a senior official) in the Ministry of Personnel’s Civil Selection Bureau. In 1594, he was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown, where he, along with his younger brother Yuncheng and Gao Panlong, lectured at the Donglin Academy. He often critiqued court politics, resonating with both officials and the public, which greatly enhanced the reputation of the Donglin School. He was referred to as one of the “Three Gentlemen” alongside Yang Lian and Zou Yuanbiao. His works include Posthumous Writings of Gu Duanwen.

In the early spring of 1595, a patient who had lapsed into unconsciousness several times opened his eyes tenaciously once again, reflecting on the storms he had weathered over his 46 years… More details about Gu Xiancheng ++