Hongshan Taibo Mausoleum Scenic Area

Hongshan Taibo Mausoleum Scenic Area

Hongshan Taibo Mausoleum Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Taibo’s Tomb, also known as “Wu King Mound” or “Imperial Tomb,” is located at the scenic southern foot of Hongshan Mountain in Hongshan Subdistrict, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province. The tomb complex includes the Wu Culture Square, stone memorial archway, Yangzhi Pavilion, Imperial Stele Pavilion, as well as structures built during the Ming Dynasty such as the Crescent Pond and the Quadrangular Stele. In 1999, relevant authorities expanded the site. The tomb area was enlarged from its original three mu to nearly fifty mu. Centered around Wu culture, the area integrates natural and cultural landscapes, using rich materials, statues, steles, and artifacts to vividly showcase over three thousand years of production, culture, and folk customs in the Wu region.

The ancient leader of the Zhou tribe, Gugong Danfu (commonly known as King Tai of Zhou), son of Gugong, was born around the 40th year of the reign of the 23rd Shang Dynasty emperor, Wuding (approximately 1284 BC). By the 5th year of the reign of the 25th Shang emperor, Zuji (1253 BC), he had established his capital at Qishan in Shaanxi’s Zhouyuan region and fathered three sons: Taibo, Zhongyong, and Jili. The eldest son had no children after marriage, while the third son had a son named Chang, who was intelligent and talented—later known as King Wen of Zhou. Gugong Danfu hinted that the throne should pass to Jili, and eventually to his grandson Chang. The eldest son, filial and selfless, chose to yield the leadership. As winter turned to spring, Taibo and his second brother quickly led a group southward, crossing rivers and arriving at the northern part of Taihu Lake, then proceeding through Wuxi’s Fangqian all the way to Meili. There they set up camp, built a city, and established a state. This took place around the 8th year of the reign of the 27th Shang emperor, Gengding (approximately 1212 BC).

Taibo built walls and established a city in Meili, designating it as the capital and naming it Gouwu. This marked the earliest city wall in the Jiangnan region over 3,200 years ago. He brought the culture of the northwest to Jiangnan and adapted to local customs, applying ancient painting art to human body decoration. He pioneered the practice of haircuts among the people, trimming their long, unkempt hair into short styles characteristic of the time, promoting cleanliness and hygiene—a practice historically known as “hair-cutting and tattooing.”

The following year, upon hearing that his father was seriously ill, he went up Huishan (also called Hui Mountain) to gather medicinal herbs and collect prescriptions to treat his father’s illness. Together with his brother, he went north to care for their father before returning to Meili. Later, he established settlements, developed Jiangnan, transformed fishing and hunting lands into rice paddies, and expanded cultivated areas, earning deep affection from the people. Years later, in the 10th year of the reign of the 27th Shang emperor, Gengding (approximately 1210 BC), Gugong Danfu passed away. The brothers returned to Qishan for the funeral and yielded the right of succession to their third brother, Jili. They quickly left Qishan in mourning attire and returned to Wuxi, dedicating themselves tirelessly to building the ancient state of Gouwu. Taibo was a pioneering figure in creating ancient Wu culture.

Confucius once praised Taibo, bestowing upon him the revered title of “Sage of Supreme Virtue” for “yielding the realm to both families and pioneering the civilization of Jiangnan for all time.”

Taibo made indelible historical contributions by first yielding leadership and then pioneering Jiangnan. He integrated the cultures of eastern and western China, laying the foundation for ancient Jiangnan civilization. He was not only the founder of the Wu state but, more importantly, an outstanding ancient thinker, statesman, and leader of the people. He did not enjoy the fruits of others’ labor but instead endured hardships to create, develop, and serve the people. He did not simply inherit his father’s throne and legacy but sought innovation, forging new frontiers. When his younger brother Jili was killed by the 29th Shang emperor, Tai Ding (around 1193 BC), Taibo once again yielded the throne to his nephew Chang (King Wen of Zhou). By then advanced in age, Taibo soon passed away. The people of Wuxi, in eternal remembrance of this founding monarch, laid him to rest on Hongshan (also called Huangshan). Taibo was born around the 5th year of the reign of the 25th Shang emperor, Zuji (approximately 1253 BC), and died in the 4th year of the reign of the 30th Shang emperor, Diyi (approximately 1187 BC), at the age of 96. He had no sons, and upon his death, the throne passed to his elder brother Zhongyong. Since then, this great man has rested forever at the foot of Hongshan in Meili (now Meicun), Wuxi. The Taibo Tomb, as a millennia-old historic site, stands for future generations to admire.