Tomb of Dong Qichang

Tomb of Dong Qichang

The Tomb of Dong Qichang is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou.

The Tomb of Dong Qichang is located in Yuyangli, Xukou Township, Wuxian.

Dong Qichang, styled Yuanzai and also known as Sixi (literally “Thinking White”) or Xiangguang Jushi (literally “Resident of Fragrant Light”), was a native of Huating in Songjiang (present-day Songjiang District, Shanghai). He passed the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1589), was appointed as a compiler, and successively served as Vice Commissioner of Huguang, Educational Commissioner of Huguang, Vice Commissioner of Shandong, Military Defense Commissioner of Dengzhou and Laizhou, and Provincial Administration Commissioner of Henan. When Emperor Guangzong ascended the throne, he was summoned to serve as Deputy Minister of Rites, overseeing the affairs of the National University. In the second year of the Tianqi era (1622), he was promoted to Minister of Rites and concurrently Lecturer to the Emperor, participating in the compilation of the Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong. Later, he was elevated to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, assisting in the affairs of the Directorate of Education, and was then transferred to the position of Left Vice Minister. In the fifth year of the Tianqi era (1625), he was promoted to Minister of Rites of the Nanjing government. At that time, the eunuch faction held dominant power and “persecution by political factions was extremely severe.” He “resigned from his post due to personal choice and, after more than a year, requested retirement.” After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, he was reappointed to oversee the Directorate of Education and was granted the title of Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Dong Qichang was born in the thirty-fourth year of the Jiajing era (1555) and died in the ninth year of the Chongzhen era (1636) at the age of 82. He was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor to the Heir Apparent and given the posthumous name “Wenmin.” He authored hundreds of volumes of works including Annals of Wanli Events, Records of the Nanjing Hanlin Academy, Sketches from the Painting Zen Studio, Collected Works of Rongtai, and Separate Collections of Rongtai, and was renowned for his paintings and calligraphy.

There are two reputed sites of Dong Qichang’s tomb. One is in Yangjiachang within the county. During an investigation in 1963, the tomb site was found to have a diameter of only 2.5 meters, indicating a very small scale. It has since been leveled into mulberry fields. In front of the tomb stands a stele inscribed with “Tomb of the Ming Dynasty’s Wenmin Duke Dong,” written by Wu Yinpei, currently located at the entrance of the Yuyang Forest Farm dormitory. The other site is in the bay area of Yuyang Mountain, where the tomb structure is quite large. In front of the tomb are stone turtles, stone horses, stone statues of officials, stone stelae, and flagpole bases. The stone statues of officials are 2.85 meters tall, many of which have fallen in the mountains. According to Li Genyuan’s Record of Visiting Antiquities in the Western Mountains of Wujun, the latter tomb more closely matches the scale and layout that Dong Qichang’s tomb should have. The tomb chamber remains intact, and the stone carvings are also relatively well preserved.