Tomb of Huang Lizhou

Tomb of Huang Lizhou

The Tomb of Huang Lizhou is a cultural tourism attraction.

Huashan Mountain was not only the retreat and writing place of the great cultural master Huang Lizhou, but also the site of the Huang family cemetery. On the northern slope of Tiger Mountain lies the tomb of Huang Lizhou’s father, Huang Zunsu, with stone beasts nearby. Huang Lizhou’s wife is buried to the north of the Longhu Thatched Cottage. Their eldest son, Baiyao, is interred to the left of Huang Zunsu’s tomb. The fourth son, Shou’er, and granddaughters A’yin and A’hao are also buried on Huashan Mountain. Hence, Huang Lizhou wrote: “In Shanyin, ten acres of barren land are buried, where every pine tree echoes with lament.”

In the 27th year of the Kangxi reign (1688), at the age of 79, Huang Lizhou personally selected a burial site at the southeastern foot of Longshan Mountain below Huashan. He constructed his own future tomb and composed a poem about it: “In the empty valley, the pounding of pestles echoes frequently; wild foxes, snakes, and rats keep their distance. You should know I can’t escape the ridicule of the noble-minded, yet I cling to both the living and the dead.” Huang Lizhou also wrote “Lizhou’s Unfulfilled Wishes” and “Questions on Burial Customs,” instructing his descendants that upon his death, he should be buried in his everyday clothes—“a quilt and a mattress placed on a stone bed, without a coffin or outer shell, no Buddhist rites, no forty-nine-day mourning period, and no use of any ceremonial music, shamans, or funeral banners.” His intention was to express his grief over the fall of the Ming dynasty, “hoping for a swift return to dust, without explicitly stating the reason.” He also asked his descendants to “divide the paddy field below the tomb’s offering platform into three ponds to plant lotuses,” and “out of deep affection, to plant five plum trees on the tomb mound,” as well as “to move two stone slabs to the front of my grave as memorial pillars, inscribed with: ‘Serving no lords, upholding the integrity of Zhu Yuyan; composing writings, following the literary legacy of Yu Xi.’” Before his passing, Huang Lizhou once again wrote a poem for his family: “It has been eight years since the tomb was built; even in dreams, resting here brings me joy. Don’t let crows or ants mock me—this bundle of dry bones is not mine to command.” Even in his final moments, the scholar remained preoccupied with a simple burial, leaving his family with no choice but to comply. After his death, his descendants carried out the funeral according to his wishes, and the stele inscription was composed by the renowned early Qing historian Quan Zuwang from Yin County, while the epitaph was written by Mao Qiling from Xiaoshan.

By the end of 1966, the original tomb had been leveled. In 1981, cultural heritage authorities partially restored the tomb on its original site to resemble its former appearance, and it was designated as a Zhejiang Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In recent years, in accordance with Mr. Lizhou’s wishes, a plum garden has been created to the left of the tomb, with over 200 plum trees planted; three lotus ponds have been dug below the tomb’s offering platform and planted with lotuses; and a stone pavilion has been erected along the tomb path. Surrounded by towering, verdant mountains that cast a solemn and tranquil atmosphere, the tomb faces southeast and is located 200 meters from the tomb of Huang Zunsu on the northern slope of Tiger Mountain. The two tombs stand facing each other from afar, symbolizing the unyielding spirit and lifelong resistance of the Huang father and son.

Huang Zongxi (September 24, 1610 – August 12, 1695), of Han ethnicity, was a native of Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang. His courtesy names were Taichong and Debīng, and his pseudonym was Nanlei; scholars referred to him as Mr. Lizhou. He was a Confucian scholar, historian, philosopher, geographer, astronomer, mathematician, and educator during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. As the eldest son of Huang Zunsu, one of the “Seven Gentlemen of Donglin,” he is recognized alongside Gu Yanwu and Wang Fuzhi as one of the “Three Great Thinkers of the Late Ming and Early Qing”; together with his brothers Huang Zongyan and Huang Zonghui, he is known as the “Three Yues of Eastern Zhejiang”; and alongside Shaanxi’s Li Yong and Hebei’s Sun Qifeng, he is called one of the “Three Great Confucian Scholars of the Realm,” earning the title “Father of China’s Enlightenment…” More details about Huang Zongxi ++