Tomb of Qian Qianyi

Tomb of Qian Qianyi

The Tomb of Qian Qianyi is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located at Liushenbang under Fushuiyan on the southwestern foothills of Yushan Mountain, west of the mountain-looping highway. The Qian family cemetery was once expansive, originally featuring a stone memorial archway, a spirit path, and an offering platform by the mountain pond, all of which have been destroyed, leaving only the enclosing wall.

The existing tomb faces south with its back to the mountain and front to the lake. Covering an area of 743 square meters, the mound is 1.3 meters high. The main burial chamber contains the graves of Qian’s parents, Qian Shiyang and Madam Gu, marked by a stele. Qian Qianyi’s grave is located in the zhaowei (left) position. Behind the tomb stand two steles: one inscribed in bluestone by Qian Yong during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty, and another made of granite erected in the Republican era. The stele written by Qian Yong bears the central inscription “Tomb of the Old Man of Dongjian,” with small characters at the top reading “Collected from the Calligraphy of Master Dongpo,” small characters at the bottom reading “Inscribed by Shanghu Fisherman,” and at the end the lines “I alone cherish true talent” and the seal “Shanghu Fisherman.” The Republican-era stele is inscribed with “Tomb of Mr. Qian Muzhai.” Qian’s tomb has been repaired multiple times. It was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in 1957, adjusted to county-level in 1982, and is now a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit.

Qian Qianyi (1582–1664), courtesy name Shouzhi, art name Muzhai, also known in his later years as Mengsou, Jiangyun Laoren, and Zaijian Laoren, among others. A literary giant of the late Ming and early Qing periods, revered as the “Literary Sage of the Southeast.” Born into an official family in Changshu, he ranked third (i.e., Zhuangyuan) in the 38th year of the Wanli reign (1610) of the Ming Dynasty and was appointed as a Hanlin Academy editor. Due to the failure of the Donglin Party in its struggle against the Zhe, Qi, and Chu factions, Qian, who leaned toward the Donglin Party, lived in prolonged retirement in his hometown. In the early years of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, he was reinstated as Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently Hanlin Bachelor of Ceremonial, but was later dismissed and returned home due to accusations of “forming cliques and accepting bribes” in a power struggle over ministerial positions with Wen Tiren and Zhou Yanru.

In the 13th year of the Chongzhen reign (1640), the renowned beauty and talented woman Liu Rushi admired his scholarship and literary fame, and became his concubine. Soon after, the Qing army entered the pass and established the Southern Ming regime “Hongguang” in Nanjing, where Qian served as Minister of Rites. He later exhausted his energy and wealth in support of resistance against the Qing. He passed away in poverty and deep in debt in 1664 in Changshu.

He was also a leading figure in the poetry circles of both the late Ming and early Qing periods, known for his vast knowledge, quick wit, and leadership in the poetic world during the Kangxi era. He had profound expertise in classics, history, literature, and even Buddhism and Taoism. He was also a famous bibliophile, sparing no effort or expense to acquire ancient and rare books, and built the “Jiangyun Tower” on the eastern foothills of Yushan to house his collection, amassing up to seventy-three large cases. The Song and Yuan dynasty editions he collected were considered the finest in the nation. Qian authored numerous works, including Initial Learning Collection, Further Learning Collection, Throwing Down the Brush Collection, Biographies of the Early Ming Heroes, Annotations to Du Fu’s Poetry, Brief Biographies in the Collected Poems of Dynasties, and Letters of Qian Muzhai.

Qian Qianyi (1582–1664), courtesy name Shouzhi, art name Muzhai, also known in his later years as Mengsou or Dongjian Yilao. Native of Changshu, Jiangsu. Ranked third in the 38th year of the Wanli reign (1610) of the Ming Dynasty in the imperial examination under the list headed by Han Jing.

Qian Qianyi came from a scholarly family, ranking third in the provincial examination in 1606. Four years later, he achieved top honors in the metropolitan examination and was appointed as a Hanlin editor. After his father’s death, he returned to his hometown and lived there for ten years. Erudite and skilled in poetry and lyrics, he lectured among the Donglin faction members. In the first year of the Taichang reign (1620), he returned to the capital to resume his post. In the first year of the Tianqi reign (1621)... More detailed information on Qian Qianyi ++

Yushan Subdistrict: The Yushan Subdistrict of Changshu City covers an area of 62.7 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 207,000, including 137,000 registered residents. Yushan Subdistrict is positioned as the core area for all-for-one tourism integrating mountains, waters, and the city.

The Jiangsu Provincial Government (Document No. Su Zheng Fu [2017] No. 103) and the Suzhou Municipal Government (Document No. Su Fu Fu [2017] No. 62) have recently issued approvals regarding the adjustment of the administrative divisions of Yushan Town, Changshu City.

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