Tomb of the King of Borneo

Tomb of the King of Borneo

The Tomb of the King of Borneo is located on Turtle Mountain in Huahua Village, east of Shizigang, outside Andemen Gate in Nanjing. Because the Kingdom of Borneo practiced Islam, local residents referred to it as the "Huihui Tomb."

The ancient Kingdom of Borneo was located in the northern part of present-day Borneo Island and had a long history. As early as the second year of the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (977), it began friendly exchanges with China. In August of the third year of the Hongwu era (1370), the Ming Dynasty's founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, sent imperial censor Zhang Jingzhi and Fujian Provincial Administration Department official Shen Qiu as envoys to Borneo. In August of the fourth year of the Hongwu era, King Mahamud Shah sent envoys to return the visit with Zhang Jingzhi. In the winter of the third year of the Yongle era (1405), King Manarekana sent envoys to offer local specialties, and the Ming Emperor Chengzu, Zhu Di, appointed officials to confer the title of king upon him. In the sixth year of the Yongle era, King Manarekana, along with his wife, siblings, children, and over 150 attendants, came to China for a goodwill visit. Emperor Chengzu received them with extremely grand ceremonies. In October of that year, the king unfortunately fell ill and passed away at the age of 28. The king’s last wish was to be buried in China. Emperor Chengzu buried him with royal honors and, in accordance with Chinese rites, posthumously honored him with the title "Gongshun" (Respectful and Obedient). The king’s son, Xiwang, succeeded him as the King of Borneo. In September of the tenth year of the Yongle era, Xiwang and his mother visited Nanjing, China again to pay respects at their father’s tomb.

In 1958, during a cultural relics survey conducted by Nanjing City, a group of stone carvings lying among overgrown grass and rubble was discovered. Their artistic style resembled those found in the tombs of early Ming Dynasty meritorious officials such as Xu Da and Li Wenzhong, leading to the conclusion that it was a Ming tomb. Later, a broken stele was found in the ground, and part of the remaining inscription could still be deciphered: “...treated with good medicine, sent imperial attendants to inquire about his condition day and night, and also ordered high-ranking officials to attend to the king’s illness...” “His body is to be buried in China, not to become a foreign ghost,” “He lived to the age of twenty-eight.” This confirmed that this was indeed the Tomb of the King of Borneo. The full text of the stele can now be cross-referenced with the *Huangming Wen Heng* (Collected Literary Works of the Imperial Ming), which matches entirely, serving as further evidence (*Huangming Wen Heng, Volume 81: “Stele of the Tomb of the Respectful and Obedient King of Borneo” (written by Hu Guang)*). The remnants of the stele have now been restored and stand beside the tree-lined path leading to the king’s tomb. Entering the tomb passage, rows of stone carvings line both sides: the stone pillar has been destroyed, leaving only the base; one pair each of stone horses and horse attendants—each horse is 2.6 meters long, 1.5 meters tall, and 0.62 meters wide; each horse attendant is 1.86 meters tall, 0.7 meters wide, and 0.5 meters thick; one pair of stone sheep—each 1.6 meters long, 1 meter tall, and 0.53 meters wide; one pair of stone tigers—each 1.5 meters long, 0.95 meters tall, and 0.5 meters wide; one pair of stone warriors—each 2.05 meters tall, 0.85 meters wide, and 0.5 meters thick. Only the bases of the Hall of Worship remain.

The Tomb of the King of Borneo is one of the tangible testimonies of friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries in Chinese history. To facilitate public visits, a dedicated road leading to the tomb site has been constructed.