The Tomb of the Xiang Family in Honghe

The Tomb of the Xiang Family in Honghe

The Tomb of the Xiang Family in Honghe is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiaxing City.

The Tomb of the Xiang Family in Honghe is located in Group 6, Liangsan Village, Honghe Town, Xiuzhou District, Jiaxing City. It is the family cemetery of Xiang Yuanbian, a famous connoisseur and collector of the Ming Dynasty. The tomb is rectangular, approximately 60 meters long from north to south, 40 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of 3,064 square meters, and stands about 2 meters above the ground. Xiang Yuanbian (1524–1590), courtesy name Zijing, art name Molin, was a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. He was a student at the Imperial College during the Ming Dynasty, known for his expertise in connoisseurship. Coming from a wealthy family, he extensively collected famous calligraphic works and paintings, amassing one of the richest collections in southern China, "unparalleled in its splendor at the time." According to the Guangxu-era Jiaxing Prefecture Records, “The tomb of Xiang Yuanbian is located south of Doumen Bridge in Hanwei.” In 1975, the Jiaxing Museum conducted an emergency excavation of the tomb and identified it as the burial site of Xiang Yuanbian’s family from the Ming Dynasty based on unearthed artifacts. The Xiang family was a prominent lineage in Jiaxing, and Xiang Yuanbian was a famed painter and collector of the Ming Dynasty. Though his collection has since been dispersed, many treasured artworks from various dynasties have survived to this day thanks to his discerning patronage. A large number of exquisite relics were excavated from the Xiang family tombs. As the burial site of Xiang Yuanbian’s family, the tombs not only provide physical evidence for studying local funeral customs of that period but also hold significant value for commemorating and researching Xiang Yuanbian. Therefore, they are of high historical, scientific, and artistic importance. In 2009, the site was designated as a municipal-level cultural relic protection unit of Jiaxing.

Source: Jiaxing Cultural Relics Protection Office

Liangsan Village: Liangsan Village is located to the northwest of Honghe Town, bordering the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to the north, with Tongxiang Avenue running east-west through the area. The village enjoys convenient transportation, a tidy environment, prosperous households, good public security, and a peaceful life for its residents. Covering an area of 3.94 square kilometers, Liangsan Village has a total of 4,012 mu of arable land; it consists of 16 villager groups, with 655 households, a permanent population of 2,694, and over 3,000 temporary residents. The village has 62 Party members, 15 League members, and a three-tier village leadership team composed of 5 cadres. In 2014, the per capita income of farmers reached 21,770... More details about Liangsan Village++