Princess Fuqing's Tomb

Princess Fuqing's Tomb

Princess Fuqing's Tomb is a protected cultural heritage site of Nanjing.

Princess Fuqing's Tomb was excavated in Dengfu Mountain, Yuhuatai District, Nanjing, and is now located within the Deng Yu Tomb Complex in Yuhuatai District. Commonly known as the "Eighth Princess Tomb," it is the only discovered and preserved Ming Dynasty princess tomb in China that remains intact, features a complex structure, and boasts grand specifications. The excavation and preservation of Princess Fuqing's Tomb are of great significance for the study of Ming Dynasty imperial funeral customs and architectural techniques.

In 1998, the tombs of Ming Dynasty Princess Fuqing and her husband, the imperial son-in-law Zhang Kejun, were discovered. In 2000, following expert evaluation and a decision by the Nanjing Cultural Relics Bureau, Princess Fuqing's Tomb was relocated and reconstructed. In 2003, it was designated as a "Yuhuatai District-level Cultural Heritage Protection Unit." In 2006, it was listed as a Protected Cultural Heritage Site of Nanjing.

Princess Fuqing's Tomb is also rectangular with a vaulted ceiling, notable for its grand scale and exquisite construction. The inner walls of the tomb chamber are generally coated with a layer of white lime plaster. The tomb consists of front and rear chambers, measuring a total length of 9.35 meters and a width of 4.2 meters. A partition wall separates the front and rear chambers, which is 0.6 meters thick and 0.85 meters wide, with a wooden door in the center (now decayed). The central door is 2.45 meters wide and 2.85 meters high. The rear chamber is 5.5 meters long. At the center of the rear chamber lies a stone coffin bed on a Sumeru pedestal, with the base of the coffin bed measuring 2.87 meters in length, 1.60 meters in width, and 0.6 meters in height. The east, west, and south walls of the rear chamber each feature niches. The niches on the east and west walls are 1.2 meters wide, 1.45 meters high, and 0.65 meters deep, while the niche on the south wall is 1.27 meters wide, 1.5 meters high, and 0.42 meters deep.

A large number of green-glazed glazed tiles, phoenix-patterned drip tiles, and fragments were unearthed from the front chamber, believed to be decorative elements from the top of the sealed door wall. Artifacts excavated include: one pottery vat, 0.60 meters high and 0.50 meters in diameter; one three-legged bronze stove, 0.16 meters high and 0.085 meters in diameter; one bronze ceremonial object, 0.24 meters wide and 0.26 meters high; one bronze lock from a jewelry wooden box, 0.068 meters long; one gold button with a bee-shaped handle, 0.036 meters wide. One epitaph was also found, partially weathered but with legible text, transcribed as follows: Epitaph Cover: “Princess Fuqing’s Tomb Epitaph”; Epitaph Text: “Princess Fuqing’s Tomb Epitaph. She was the eighth daughter of Emperor Taizu, the Supreme Emperor, and her mother was Empress Xiaoci, the Supreme Empress. The princess was born in October of the third year of the Hongwu era, became the wife of Imperial Son-in-Law and Commandant Zhang Lin in the eighteenth year, passed away in the fifteenth year of the Yongle era at the age of forty-eight, leaving one son. In the fourth month of that year, on the fourth day, she was buried at Ande Mountain. Herein recorded.”