Tomb of Xu Lingtai

Tomb of Xu Lingtai

The Tomb of Xu Lingtai is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Tomb of Xu Lingtai is located in Tianxinli, Lingyi Village, Bache Town, Wujiang County.

Xu Lingtai, originally named Dachun, later changed his name to Daye, and was known by his courtesy name. In his later years, he used the pseudonym Huixi Daoren. He was a native of Wujiang County. A renowned physician of the Qing Dynasty, Xu was also skilled in literature, and well-versed in music theory and hydraulic engineering. His book "Musical Drama Phonetics" was highly regarded by dramatists.

In the 36th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1771), Xu Lingtai made his second trip to the capital, and soon passed away. The following spring, he was buried in Huangziwei, Yuelai Creek, Wujiang County (now part of Wu County), and was relocated to the current site in the 57th year of Qianlong (1792).

The Tomb of Xu Lingtai faces south and is a joint burial tomb consisting of four chambers for Xu Lingtai and his first wife, second wife, and concubine. The site is located by the river and features a four-pillar, three-bay stone memorial archway inscribed with the plaque "Famed Confucian Scholar." The pillars bear two pairs of elegiac couplets. One reads, “A hillside covered in fragrant herbs, the immortal’s medicine; a path swept by cool breeze, the scholar’s grave.” The other reads, “His soul returned to the netherworld, his vast knowledge buried underground; his books spread across the four seas, their eternal benefits to mankind.” Before 1958, the tomb was destroyed, but the remains and some artifacts were reburied here. The Wujiang County Cultural Center only managed to collect two mid-Ming blue-and-white porcelain bowls. In 1963, the tomb was restored, and a gravestone was erected, inscribed with “Tomb of Xu Lingtai, Renowned Physician of the Qing Dynasty” in intaglio regular script. During the Cultural Revolution, the site suffered severe damage again, with trees and the archway completely destroyed. In 1982, when investigating the remaining relics of the tomb, a set of two stone epitaphs belonging to Xu Lingtai was discovered, providing physical material for studying his life and activities. In 1984, the tomb area was renovated and expanded to 1,400 square meters, with a tomb path constructed and the mound rebuilt. It now stands 2.3 meters high and 10 meters in diameter. The memorial archway was reconstructed to its original appearance, and a new stele commemorating the restoration was erected.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province