Tomb Pathway of Yu Yonglin

Tomb Pathway of Yu Yonglin

The Tomb Pathway of Yu Yonglin is a cultural relics protection unit under Yinzhou District.

The Tomb Pathway of Yu Yonglin is located at Jiufeng Mountain Villa, Baotong Village, Wuxiang Town, Yinzhou District. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit on October 9, 2002.

Yu Yonglin, a native of Yinzhou, was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations under the Ming Dynasty's Jiajing Emperor and served as an assistant regional magistrate in Suzhou Prefecture. He authored works such as Beichuang Suoyu. According to the Republican-era edition of the Yinzhou County Annals, “In Tonggu Mountain east of the county lies the tomb of Yu Yonglin, Vice Minister of Revenue, Grand Tutor (posthumous), and Assistant Regional Magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture from the Ming Dynasty.”

The burial complex is quite large, consisting of the tomb chamber and the spirit way. Today, the tomb chamber has collapsed, and the mound is buried within a earthen tumulus. The spirit way stretches approximately over 50 meters in length and more than 10 meters in width. From east to west, it features a series of stone statues arranged in pairs, including stone bamboo shoots, stone sheep, stone tigers, stone horses, stone civil officials, and a memorial column. These statues are spaced about 14 meters apart, facing each other. The stone civil official stands 3.42 meters tall, with a base that is 0.42 meters high, 1.08 meters wide, and 0.57 meters thick. He wears a square scholar’s cap, a wide-sleeved official robe, and gazes forward serenely with a dignified expression. The stone horse is 2.36 meters in height, with a base 0.52 meters high, 0.51 meters wide, and 2.62 meters long. It appears strong and spirited, standing upright with its head held high. The stone tiger is 1.54 meters tall, 0.46 meters wide, and 1 meter long (currently relocated and preserved in the graveyard at the foot of the mountain). The stone sheep is 1.32 meters tall, 0.46 meters wide, and 1.13 meters long. The original stone pathway also included a pair of male and female stone lions, crouching with powerful stances and an imposing aura. Due to historical reasons, they have now been moved to the Dongqian Lake Stone Carving Relics Museum for preservation. This set of stone carvings is finely crafted, with smooth lines and lifelike expressions, making them valuable historical artworks.

Before the Tomb Pathway of Yu Yonglin was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit, the surrounding area had already been developed into a local cemetery, which has had a certain impact on the environment and layout of the pathway.

Yu Yonglin [Ming Dynasty] (circa 1544) – personal name unknown, native of Yinzhou. Both birth and death years are uncertain but are estimated to be around the mid-period of Emperor Jiajing’s reign in the Ming Dynasty. In 1528 (the 7th year of Jiajing), he passed the imperial examination as a juren (recommended man). He served as Assistant Regional Magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture. Yu Yonglin wrote Beichuang Suoyu, which the Siku Quanshu catalog classifies as fiction.

Historical Tomb – Yu Yonglin was the birth father of Yu Youding, who served as Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, and held the position of Assistant Regional Magistrate of Suzhou Prefecture himself. The stone carvings in front of his tomb were crafted by the same artisans who created those in front of the tomb of Yu Youding, which is a national-level cultural relics protection site. The stone carvings are massive in scale and exquisitely carved... More details on Yu Yonglin ++