Tomb and Former Residence of Gu Yanwu

Tomb and Former Residence of Gu Yanwu

The Tomb and Former Residence of Gu Yanwu are recognized as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit and a patriotic education base.

Tomb of Gu Yanwu

The tomb site of Gu Yanwu consists of two parts: the Tinglin Ancestral Hall and the Tinglin Tomb. In 1956, the tomb and ancestral hall were designated as a "Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit."

The Tinglin Ancestral Hall faces south and is situated to the north, with an entrance on the east side that connects to the former residence of Gu Yanwu, and the Gu Garden located just outside the western wall. The main hall of the ancestral shrine faces south, featuring three connected bays, two wing rooms, and a gate tower, with the three central bays forming a large memorial hall. Twelve stone tablets inscribed with bricks are embedded in the walls on both sides and the outer corridor, recounting the life of Mr. Gu. One of these tablets contains his famous saying: “The rise and fall of the nation concerns every individual.” There are also two pagoda trees and two osmanthus trees planted in the courtyard.

The terrace of the Tinglin Tomb is currently constructed with granite, featuring seven stone steps enclosed by a stone railing.

In 1682 (the 21st year of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty), Gu Yanwu passed away in Quwo, Shanxi. His adopted son, Gu Yansheng, along with his cousin Gu Yan, transported the coffin back to his hometown in Qiandeng, Kunshan, where he was buried in the family cemetery next to the graves of his adoptive father Gu Tongji and adoptive mother Wang Zhenxiao. In front of the tomb is a stele inscribed with “Tomb of Mr. Gu Tinglin and His Wife, Lady Wang Shuoren.” The area is enclosed by a low brick wall, with a Qing-era stone tablet embedded in it. To the south of the tomb stands a Purity and Filial Piety Archway erected by the Ming imperial court to honor Gu’s adoptive mother, Lady Wang. Behind the tomb are four willow trees, surrounded by dozens of pine and cypress trees.

In the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1894), Wan Lijun, the magistrate of Xinyang County, renovated the tomb. In the third year of the Republic of China (1914), Liang Dingfen, a scholar from Guangdong and leader of the Confucian Society, made a special trip to Qiandun to pay homage to the Tinglin Tomb and the posthumous portrait, and funded the construction of the Tinglin Ancestral Hall by entrusting Gu Ziyu, the 12th-generation descendant of Gu Yanwu. In 1956, the tomb and ancestral hall were designated as a “Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.”

Address: Within the Qiandeng Ancient Town Scenic Area, Kunshan City

Type: Cemetery/Tomb Site

Recommended Visiting Time: About 1 hour

Phone: 0512-57472155

Opening Hours:

Summer: 8:00–17:00; Winter: 8:00–16:30

Ticket Information:

No admission fee. Included in the Qiandeng Ancient Town combo ticket; not sold separately

Gu Yanwu (1613–1682), originally named Jiang and styled Zhongqing. After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, he changed his name to Yanwu and his style name to Ningren, also referring to himself as Jiangshan Yong. Scholars respectfully called him Mr. Tinglin. He was of Han ethnicity, from Kunshan County, Suzhou Prefecture, Nan Zhili (renamed Jiangnan Province during the Qing Dynasty, now Kunshan, Suzhou, Jiangsu), and was a renowned thinker, historian, and linguist of the late Ming and early Qing periods. Gu Yanwu is grouped with Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi as one of the Three Great Confucian Scholars of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.

Gu Yanwu was born in the 41st year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1613), originally the son of Gu Tongying. His great-grandfather was Gu Zhangzhi. The Gu family was a prominent clan in Jiangdong. [Details about Gu Yanwu++]

Qiandeng Town: Qiandeng was formerly known as Qiandun. According to the *Songnan Zhi* (Records of South of the Song River) by Chen Yuanmo of the Qing Dynasty, located 36 li southeast of Kunshan County, there is a waterway called Qiandun Pu in Chuan Township. It is said that the Song River flows eastward from Wumen to this point, and there are nearly a thousand mounds along both banks of the river, hence the name Qiandun. In the second year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1910), it was renamed Qian Dun, with two legends explaining the origin: one suggests it was a refined literary term, while the other claims it was due to the abundance of madder plants on the mounds. In April 1966, with the approval of the Jiangsu Provincial People's Committee, it was renamed Qiandeng, as it remains today.

Qiandeng is located in the Yangtze River Delta, under the jurisdiction of Kunshan City, Jiangsu Province, covering an area of 84 square kilometers with a population of 130,000, including... [Detailed information about Qiandeng Town++]

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units