Monument to Yao Changzhang

Monument to Yao Changzhang

The Monument to Yao Changzhang is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Monument to Yao Changzhang is located in Siji Village, south of Keqiao Town. It was built in June 1937 to commemorate Yao Changzhang, a Ming Dynasty hero who fought against Japanese pirates. The monument is approximately 6.5 meters tall and consists of two parts: the main body and a platform. The base is square-shaped. The main body faces south and is made of concrete. On the front upper part, eight characters are engraved in intaglio clerical script: “Monument in Memory of Martyr Yao for Defeating the Pirates.” The lower front part is inlaid with a Taihu stone bearing the portrait of the martyr. The platform beneath the monument is surrounded by stacked stone slabs, standing 0.95 meters above ground with sides measuring 5 meters.

Located in Siji Village, south of Keqiao Town, the monument was built in June 1937 to commemorate Yao Changzhang, a Ming Dynasty hero who fought against Japanese pirates. The monument is approximately 6.5 meters tall and consists of two parts: the main body and a platform. The base is square-shaped. The main body faces south and is made of concrete. On the front upper part, eight characters are engraved in intaglio clerical script: “Monument in Memory of Martyr Yao for Defeating the Pirates.” The lower front part is inlaid with a Taihu stone bearing the portrait of the martyr. The platform beneath the monument is surrounded by stacked stone slabs, standing 0.95 meters above ground with sides measuring 5 meters.

According to historical texts such as "Miscellaneous Records of Yue Region" and "Shaoxing County Annals," Martyr Yao was from Dushan Village in Keqiao. His name is unknown, but due to his tall stature, he was nicknamed "Changzhang" (literally "the elder son"). During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates were rampant and frequently raided coastal areas. In the 33rd year of Jiajing (1554), a group of pirates fled from Zhuji to Keqiao in Shaoxing, intending to escape by sea via Zhoushan. Yao Changzhang was threshing rice in the fields when he saw the pirates approaching. He fought them alone with a rice fork, but was eventually captured due to being outnumbered. The pirates “pierced his shoulders with vines and forced him to act as their guide.” Yao pretended to cooperate, leading the pirates into Huarentan—an islet in Kutan surrounded by water on all sides, accessible only via two bridges. At that point, Yao secretly instructed the villagers in the local dialect—which the pirates did not understand: “Once I lead the pirates into a dead end, quickly destroy both bridges. I will die without regret!” The villagers followed his instructions and cut off the pirates’ escape route. Enraged, the pirates chopped Yao into pieces. Eventually, soldiers and villagers arrived and annihilated over 200 pirates trapped inside.

To honor Yao Changzhang, the villagers renamed “Huarentan” as “Juewo Tu” (Pirate-Annihilating Land), named the two bridges “Desheng Bridge” (Victory Bridge) and “Wan’an Bridge” (Peace Bridge), and built a memorial shrine at the site of his martyrdom.

Zhang Dai, a literary figure of the late Ming Dynasty, wrote an epitaph for him, praising his act of sacrificing one life to save thousands: “In a moment of crisis, with no time to save himself, he sought to protect his fellow villagers.” In June 1937 (the 26th year of the Republic of China), a 6.5-meter-high “Monument to Martyr Yao for Defeating the Pirates” was erected on Juewo Tu. In 1963, the monument was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Shaoxing County, and in 1987, it was upgraded to a key cultural relic protection unit.

Yao’s surname is lost to history; “Changzhang” was merely his nickname—he can be called an unsung hero. Yao was an ordinary farmer working as a laborer, making him a hero of the farming people. Yao sacrificed his life fighting Japanese pirates, making him a national hero. Yao dared to fight the pirates alone with a rice fork—this shows his bravery. Yao ultimately outsmarted the enemy and annihilated them all—this shows his wisdom. Yao faced death unflinchingly to save his fellow villagers—this shows his righteousness. He could not recite the poetic line “Since ancient times, who has not died? Let me leave a loyal heart to shine in the annals of history,” nor did he shout any grand slogans. But this farmer, this ordinary laborer without even a recorded name, truly puts to shame those who live off public pay.

The “portrait of the Ming martyr” at the lower front of the “Monument to Martyr Yao for Defeating the Pirates” has become blurred and barely recognizable, while the inscription on the back detailing Yao’s heroic deeds has eroded beyond legibility. Crops now grow around the monument, and the memorial shrine has fallen into disrepair. Only the waters of Jianhu Lake in Kutan remain unchanged, quietly flowing as they always have.