Tomb of Gu Yewang

Tomb of Gu Yewang

The Tomb of Gu Yewang is a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.

Gu Yewang, courtesy name Xifeng, was a native of Wu Commandery (present-day Suzhou), known for his vast erudition and talents. He was well-versed in the classics and history, astronomy, geography, divination, seal and clerical scripts, philology, as well as painting, excelling particularly in depicting plants and trees. He authored works such as the Yupian, Yudi Zhi, Furuitu, Xuangxiang Biao, Fenye Shuyao, and Xu Dongming Ji. He initially served in the Liang Dynasty as a Doctor at the Imperial Academy. After the fall of Liang, he entered the Chen Dynasty, rising to the positions of Yellow Gate Attendant and Minister of the Imperial Household. He was posthumously honored as Supervisor of the Palace Library and Right Guard General. Both the Book of Chen and the History of the Southern Dynasties contain biographies of him.

The tomb is located in Xiaxia Village, Chengwan, Hengtang Township, on the outskirts of Suzhou, currently covering an area of about 50 square meters. The earthen mound has a diameter of approximately 10 meters and a height of about 2 meters. Scattered across the tomb are five large stones, the largest of which is about 6 meters long. These are said to be meteorites, hence the tomb is commonly called "Falling Star Tomb." One large stone bears an inscription by Qian Daxin from the eighth year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1803), reading “Tomb of Gu, Attendant of the Yellow Gate of the Chen Dynasty.” Originally, there was also a stone memorial archway in front of the tomb, inscribed with “Spirit Way of Lord Gu,” which had two unroofed pillars but no top structure. This archway collapsed in 1966, and the tomb steles erected during the Qing Qianlong and Guangxu reigns have also disappeared.

In 1963, the Tomb of Gu Yewang was listed as a cultural relic protection unit of Suzhou City.