Tomb of Wang Ao

Tomb of Wang Ao

The Tomb of Wang Ao is a cultural heritage site protected by Suzhou Municipality.

The tomb of Wang Ao is located on a small hillside beside the "Imperial Path" in Lucun Village, Dongshan, Wuxian.

Wang Ao, courtesy name Jizhi, also known as Shouxi, and in his later years as Zhusou, was referred to by scholars as Master Zhenze. He was a native of Wuxian. During the reigns of Emperors Xianzong, Xiaozong, and Wuzong—periods when the Ming dynasty began to decline—Wang Ao served as a statesman. Faced with such political circumstances, Wang Ao proposed many reform ideas and engaged in direct confrontation with the eunuch Liu Jin, who was “increasingly despotic and brought disaster even to the gentry.” In his later years, Wang Ao lived in his hometown of Dongshan in Wuxian, where he authored local records such as Zhenze Compilation, Gusu Annals, Zhenze Collection, Zhenze Longyu, and Zhenze Chronicles, as well as works like Spring and Autumn Rhetoric and On the Goodness of Human Nature. He constructed the "Zhao Yin Garden" and "Zhen Shi Garden" in Dongshan, enjoying a leisurely retirement there for 14 years. The economic prosperity and cultural advancement of the Dongshan region were closely linked to Wang Ao. In the third year of the Jiajing era (1524), Wang Ao passed away in Dongshan at the age of 75. Emperor Shizong of Ming (Jiajing) posthumously honored him as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and conferred upon him the posthumous title “Wenke,” hence he is also referred to as “Lord Wang Wenke.” The emperor also composed a special eulogy inscription to commemorate him.

To the west of Wang Ao’s tomb lies Lake Tai. The spirit way originally featured stone statues of officials and animals, memorial archways, and a stele pavilion. The archway bore a couplet written and inscribed by his disciple Tang Yin, which read: “The foremost literary talent under heaven, the peerless prime minister in the mountains.” The stele pavilion once housed an imperial eulogy stele from Emperor Shizong, but all these have now disappeared. Only a stone sheep and a few remaining stone components are preserved in the nearby orchard terraces. During the Cultural Revolution, the tomb mound was leveled, parts of the stone enclosure were exposed, and the burial ground was planted with fruit trees such as plum and orange.